The Enemy Within
by Ahsokafanboy1138
Summary: After the bombing of Taris and the destruction of the Rakghoul virus, Ahsoka is approached by Jedi General Arligan Zey of Republic Special Forces. He sends a group of Maverick Clone Commandoes and their instructors to help her look for sith infiltrators. What will they find in their search.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: The Mandalorian Sergeant

It was unusually cold outside the Jedi Council chambers. At least, it felt that way to Echo, who was standing there with Ahsoka, waiting for Anakin to come out. It was two days after Echo had returned to the Republic, and he was now officially Ahsoka's second in command. He had been quite unsettled when he had learned of what had happened in his absence. It would seem that Anakin and Ahsoka were the only Jedi he knew of that could be trusted. They were the only ones to consistently show good judgment and trustworthiness. The Jedi, generally, tended to be nice enough, usually. But recently, they hadn't shown the best judgment and were rather willing to give in to demands they shouldn't have. It was a disconcerting thought, especially since there now might be traitors in their ranks. The senate was even worse. Almost every senator he could think of was corrupt, incompetent, or both. At least the Separatists were undeniably evil so he could feel justified in killing them.

Ahsoka was very troubled at the moment. Anakin was annoyed at having to repeatedly explain his decision to bomb Taris to the Council. Mace Windu in particular seemed to be on a witchhunt at the moment. But all of that was minor. Ahsoka was really worried about the Sith infiltrators in the Jedi ranks. The council thought it was just Narrisa ranting but Ahsoka hadn't been impressed with their wisdom so far. Anakin and Obi-Wan believed her at least, and had told her a shocking truth. Count Dooku was the man who ordered the creation of the clone army and sabotaged the Jedi archives to hide the truth. It would appear the Sith were even more powerful than believed. Unsurprisingly, the council wasn't doing much about it. It was times like this that she wondered if the Republic was worth saving.

Anakin came out looking rather grim. It seemed that his meeting with the Council hadn't gone well. "What did they say?" asked Ahsoka.

"They second-guessed my decision to bombard Taris" Anakin said frustratingly. "Windu accused me of doing so out of bloodlust, as if that psycho knew what he was talking about. Mundi thought I did so out of panic. And Yoda, as always, was indecisive about his opinion. They haven't taken any action against me or you but they are very unhappy with us. And no, they still aren't following up on the possible Sith infiltrators. They are still telling themselves that it was just Narrisa ranting."

"Of course they are," muttered Ahsoka. "They have somehow gotten even dumber." Since they were duped into turning on her, Ahsoka hadn't been very trusting of the Jedi Council's judgment. Her newfound cynicism had surprised Echo, who had a hard time believing Ahsoka could think that way. Things had really changed in his time away. Of course, after everything that had happened, he couldn't really blame her.

The speeder cruised through the city as Ahsoka piloted it toward Arca Barracks, the headquarters of the Special Operations Brigade. Gregor was going there to be assigned to a new squad and Ahsoka, along with Echo, were taking him there. When they landed they saw a man in Mandalorian armor painted gold. Gregor was clearly surprised to see this guy and walked up to him. "Great to see you're alive, Gregor" said the Mandalorian.

"I nearly wasn't" replied Gregor. "General, I'd like you to meet Sergeant Kal Skirata. He taught me everything I know and is an amazing fighter."

"You must be the famous Ahsoka Tano. I watched your trial on the Holonet, didn't believe anything that Di'Kut Tarkin said. I'm surprised you came back" said Skirata.

"My reasons are my own. I imagine you have your own, considering you are working for the Jedi" replied Ahsoka. She hadn't met many traditional Mandalorians apart from Death Watch.

"I'm here to help the boys I practically raised, survive. I might actually help them get something for their service. I'm not getting much help, considering most Aruutise consider them expendable and few Jedi care about such things," exasperated Skirata.

"The only people I know of who have such views are slimy politicians. The only Jedi I can think of who thought that way was Pong Krell, who was a traitor," retorted Ahsoka. She wasn't in the mood for a lecture on how Jedi supposedly didn't care about how clones were treated. "Are you accusing me of not caring about them?" she asked.

"You and Skywalker have a pretty good reputation regarding how you treat your troops. But I don't think you realize they are essentially slaves to the Republic," replied Skirata. "I also don't think you realize that Palpatine is prolonging the war for reasons only he knows. Few people, Jedi or Politician, seem to."

"I am aware of the Clones' legal status, and so is my former master. Once the war is won, it will change. As for the chancellor, I don't know him that well but my former master trusts him. He is the only Jedi I trust unconditionally, so I will follow his lead until I get a reason to think Palpatine is up to no good," replied Ahsoka. It was true that some of Palpatine's actions had seemed strange to her but so far she hadn't seen anything specific to indicate he was truly up to no good.

"Let's hope you don't get that reason to late" muttered Skirata. He then walked off. Ahsoka came up to Gregor and asked "What's his problem?"

"He doesn't talk about it" answered Gregor. "I've always wondered why he accepted the offer to be a Drill Sergeant on the rainiest, dreariest planet in the galaxy. And I'm pretty sure it goes beyond money. Whatever it is, he has never talked about it. I've always wondered why" said Gregor. Then, an ARC Trooper in red armor walked up and saluted.

"General Tano, I am ARC Trooper A-26, otherwise known as Captain Maze. I am adjutant to General Zey. He has asked that you meet with him. If you would follow me," the trooper said. Ahsoka decided to see what this General had to offer. She followed Maze into the office of Arligan Zey. Zey was a middle aged man with greying black hair who was currently arguing with Kal Skirata.

"I have tolerated a lot of your antics sergeant. I have let you and your private army go across the galaxy doing things I can only guess at. I have let you kidnap, torture, and subsequently murder numerous people who live on Coruscant, including government employees, because you said they were terrorists. When Fi disappeared from the hospital, and was later listed as dead, I let it go. By the time you showed up with the severed head of Ko Sai, I had long since stopped caring what you did in service to the Republic. So I didn't even slap you on the wrist, metaphorically or literally, or even ask how Ko Sai died or how you found her. But if you are going to keep doing this, you will have to do something for me," yelled Zey.

He then looked at Ahsoka and said "General Tano, I have heard the rumors of you saying there are Sith Infiltrators in our ranks. Unlike the council, I don't believe in ignoring potential threats. Since you are between assignments right now, I figured you would be looking into this. As Sergeant Skirata ignores regulations and orders all the time, I thought he might be able to help you." Ahsoka was shocked. This was the first time she had met a Jedi Master apart from Obi-Wan who actually listened to her suspicions.

"Thank you, Master Zey" said Ahsoka. "This is the first time another Jedi apart from my own master actively helped me in something like this. Do you mind if I ask why you share such suspicions?" she asked.

"I have come to realize that there is something unseen manipulating the war for its own ends. The who, what, and why are unknown to me and I have not had much time to investigate. You have found a better lead than most, so I decided to help. I would come myself but there are several operations that require my attention. Thankfully, Sergeant Skirata isn't doing anything right now and is good at investigating shadow conspiracies. He will be helping you with this" explained Zey. Skirata seemed rather annoyed.

"I have better things to do than chase Jedi conspiracy theories across the galaxy, looking for some obscure cult," said Skirata.

"That "obscure cult" as you put it, has ruled over half the galaxy at various points throughout history," said Zey. "It has repeatedly come back to sow chaos across the universe, even after it supposedly was wiped out. And what is so important? Hunting missing Kaminoans so you can butcher them into gloves for one of those psychos you chose to adopt? I think you can do without that for a few months. You have your orders, carry them out."

Skirata grumbled, walked up to Ahsoka, and said "Looks like we are going Sith-Hunting. I'm going to go get my stuff and call a few friends of mine." He then walked off. Ahsoka then looked at Zey and asked "If he really did everything you say he did, why haven't you fired him? My master is the only other Jedi I can think of who would overlook such things."

"Like General Skywalker, I understand compromise must be made in war. Skirata is extremely effective and I know he won't outright betray the Republic, as he has motivations beyond money. He does not let anyone impose their version of right and wrong on him, he just follows his own. If that requires breaking the law or killing a bunch of people, he doesn't care, he'll do it anyway. Which is exactly the kind of person we need to fight a war. The Council might disagree but I think we both know they aren't as smart as they imagine themselves to be." Ahsoka was downright shocked, she never imagined a jedi master to ever say such things, especially to another jedi. Zey must have really gone through a lot in order to act like that.

Ahsoka went back to the speeder and saw Skirata was there. "I've called a few friends from the Cuy'val Dar to help us out. They don't have anything better to do and they love chasing conspiracies along with performing random acts of violence," Skirata said sarcastically. "That is a lie, they don't commit senseless acts of violence for their own sake and I have better things to do myself. But hey, the sooner I get this done I can get back to my true passion."

"Which is what?" asked Ahsoka.

"I could tell you but I just met you. Maybe you'll find out once I have gotten to know you better but not now" responded the mercenary. "Anyway, let's go meet up with them. Keep in mind most of them aren't as tolerant of Jedi as I am."

"Well, given how open minded you are, that doesn't fill me with confidence" replied Ahsoka.

"It's the truth, many of them think even less of the Jedi than I do" said Skirata. "Walon Vau was the best friend of Jango Fett and has never forgiven the Jedi for killing him. I didn't like what Windu did but it was in battle, so I don't hold a grudge. Llats Ward thinks the Jedi want to commit cultural genocide of the Mandalorian people and failing that, exterminate us like the ancient Sith Empire. Vhonte Tervho holds the same views. Unlike them, I know that not all Jedi would go along with it. Rav Bralor also knows better, but like me, she knows the Jedi don't do enough for the clones. B'arin Apma, Mij Gilamar, and Wad'e Tay'haai don't really have an opinion on the Jedi, because they never worked with you people before. And since Dred Priest is a high-end sociopath and his girlfriend Isabet Reau is on the lower end of the spectrum, I'm not bringing them on."

"I'm surprised," replied the Togruta. "I didn't think Jango Fett would hire people like that as drill instructors."

"He made sure they kept a lid on their impulses for most of the time. The one time they didn't they were hospitalized for a month. Shaak Ti fired them as soon as she took over training of the clones. They tried to rejoin Death Watch immediately afterward, but unlike his granddad, Pre Vizsla and his sidekick Bo-Katan Kryze didn't approve of their behavior and rejected their offer. Last I heard they had been hired on by that Dathomirian Zabrak that Kenobi is obsessed with" responded Skirata. "I guess he likes his underlings to be randomly cruel and suffer murderous outbursts on a whim. But whatever, only the ones I trust will be joining us on this mission. I'm also bringing along Mereel and Ordo, the only Null Arcs who aren't otherwise occupied."

"Why are they called the Nulls?" asked Ahsoka

"The Kaminoans thought they were defective" Skirata replied bitterly. "The only reason the Aiwha-bait didn't kill them was because I intervened." Skirata walked toward the speeder and got in the backseat.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: The Cuy'val dar

"Turn left here" instructed Skirata. "The guys have agreed to meet us there." Ahsoka took the speeder deep into the Entertainment District.

"Where are we meeting your friends?" asked Ahsoka.

"There is a Hutt down here that is scared of me and lets me use his restaurant whenever I choose. There it is" pointed Skirata toward a rundown building that had seen better days. Over it was a sign that said "Qibbu's Hut" over it.

"General Skywalker always said to never trust a Hutt, especially one with a terrible sense of humor" said Echo.

"Then he and I agree on something" replied Skirata. "I don't trust Qibbu but I know he's too afraid to turn on me. The others have handled creeps like him many times themselves, we have nothing to worry about. Oh, and don't mind the stains in our meeting room, it's just blood from the last guests we had over." Ahsoka nodded and landed the speeder in the parking lot.

"Mind telling me who they were?" she asked.

"Some Jabiimi trash who liked to blow up clones, his Red Nikto buddies who liked blowing up Jedi, and their friend in the logistics battalion who liked money. After their time with us, we dumped them in The Works" he replied. "In other words, no one you have to worry about." He stepped out of the speeder and said "Come on, I'll introduce you around. We'll be here for a while, so might as well get to know everybody." Ahsoka got up and followed him into the building. The interior was very dirty and a Duros bartender was wiping the glasses with a filthy towel. "Don't order anything here, food or drink" warned Skirata.

One Klatoonian bouncer wearing an extremely dirty shirt walked up to Ahsoka.

"The waitresses here have steady rates. And a pretty girl like you could easily earn extra on a regular basis" the bouncer said.

"I can tell you're an idiot, given how disrespectful you are to a Jedi Knight" growled Ahsoka. The Klatoonian didn't take the hint.

"Ooh, the little girl thinks she's something, doesn't she boys? Come meet me in the back room. We'll conduct your 'interview' there" the bouncer said turning around. Ahsoka leapt forward and beheaded him in one strike from her lightsaber, sending his head flying across the room and landing near the bartender, frightening him.

"I'm surprised, not many Jedi would kill someone simply for being rude" remarked Skirata.

"I'm not most Jedi, I don't just let people walk all over me. Besides, he was probably boosting his income by mugging people who walk in the back alley at night. No one will care if he is found headless in a gutter tomorrow. Now, let's meet with your friends and get this show on the road" said Ahsoka.

She followed him upstairs and into a large room. Inside were several Mandalorians, one of whom was a tall man with dark grey hair wearing entirely black armor, with a strange animal by his side. It was one meter long, it had six legs, and loose, leather-like gray skin.

"Saw your little show down there. Maybe this chore will be fun after all," its owner said.

"Only you would think a street thug getting decapitated by a Jedi would be a good start to a mission, Walon" replied a grey haired man to his left wearing sand colored armor. He then turned to a man behind him clad in dark purple armor with what appeared to be a metal flute. "What do you think, Wad'e?"

"I think that, after seeing that display, I would have killed him too. And don't tell me you wouldn't do the same, Mij," the man said as he clutched his flute.

"I would have broken his nose, I wouldn't have killed him" replied the one called Mij. "It's a poor start to the mission, killing someone who isn't even a target."

"This is the underlevels of the entertainment district" said the one called Walon. "No one cares about the death of a two-bit thug at a restaurant owned by a Hutt. Anyway, we haven't introduced ourselves. General, I'm Sergeant Walon Vau and these are my colleagues Sergeants Mij Gilamar and Wad'e Tay'haai. When Kal said we needed to help you go looking for resurgent Sith, I thought we would be bogged down by a traditionally stupid and close-minded Jedi but since you have established how you handle any osik, I think we will get along just fine."

"As long as you don't do anything that impulsive again, General, I'll be fine" said Gilamar.

"If it's all the same to you, leave the stabbing of any jerks like that to me, from now on" added Tay'haai.

"Go ahead" replied Ahsoka. "No one will raise a fuss over creeps like that, especially around here. Anyway, do you know what we are here for?"

"Looking for Sith spies?" asked Gilamar.

"Exactly" confirmed Ahsoka. "The Jedi Council is dismissive of my suspicions, so I need to prove them before they do anything. How do you feel about looking for them?"

"Always wanted to see what it would be like to fight a Sith, count me in" said Tay'haai.

"Zey will keep bugging me unless I help you with this, so I'm in" added Vau.

"Someone's got to keep these idiots alive, so I'm coming along" confirmed Gilamar.

"Where is Mereel?" asked Skirata.

"He is in transit and since Ordo is on a date with the tax collector, he hasn't arrived either" answered Vau.

"I'll call him when he's done, he and Besany deserve this time off" said Skirata.

"There aren't many clones I know of who are in romantic relationships" commented Ahsoka.

"Clones don't meet many women apart from Jedi, so they don't have much chance of it" added Tay'haai.

"First time he officially met the tax lady was after Tur-Mukan shot her with a stun gun and kidnapped her" Vau said wryly. "Guess she likes violent first meetings."

"Who is Tur-Mukan?" asked Echo.

"Etain Tur-Mukan is a Jedi general and a very good friend of ours who partook in our previous mission on Triple Zero" explained Skirata. Triple Zero was military parlance for Coruscant, on account of its hyperspace coordinates being three zeros. "It turns out that using the force to make people face their deepest insecurities is an extremely effective interrogation method. Sadly, she is on the front lines at the moment, so she will not be coming on this mission."

"What did General Zey think when he found out she tortured people with the Force?" asked Echo.

"He said that war puts people in impossible situations and that it was unavoidable. He also said that, since she remained detached at the time, she did not venture toward the Dark Side. In other words, he just shrugged it off," said Vau. He then turned to Ahsoka and asked, "Are you going to kick up a fuss over how we do things?"

"As long as we find Sith moles, how we do it makes no difference to me," responded Ahsoka.

"That is exactly the thing I wanted to hear," said a clone in the doorway.

"Ordo? What are you doing here?" asked Skirata. "You should be on a date with Besany."

"Mereel called and informed me of this mission, _Kal'buir._ Besany understands why our date was cut short," responded the clone now identified as Ordo.

"Told you he would find out," snarked Vau.

"Okay, next time we are about to go on a secret mission while one of us is on a date, I tell him to come after he's finished," lambasted Skirata.

"That would be rather vague, Kal" responded Tay'haai. "What if the date continued after dinner?"

"That would be stupid," replied Gilamar.

"I don't know, sounds like good advice," joked Ordo. "Just kidding, I would come right after I'd paid the bill."

"Good to know you have the right priorities," said Echo.

"Alright, now that we all know each other, let's get started on the briefing," said Skirata. "First off: what do you guys know about the Sith?"

"Some crazy sect of Jedi who want to take over the galaxy," said Vau.

"No, the Sith are a Near-Human species with red skin who worshipped the Jedi heretics, which is where the term Sith Lord comes from," added Tay'haai.

"Those were the original Sith, now the term just refers to force-users who follow the teachings of the original exiled Jedi," clarified Gilamar.

"Nice to see that you guys have bothered to pay attention in galactic history class," said Ahsoka.

"That class is a joke," said Gilamar. "The teachers of that subject would rather us forget about the past than learn anything. I learned the real history from my wife after I joined the Mandalorians."

"My homeworld, Irmenu, is ruled by a branch of the Ffib cult on Lorahns," added Vau. "Even as a child, I knew the history they were telling me in class was osik. My skepticism was just one of many things my father hated about me and tried to beat out. I ran away the first chance I got and joined the Mandalorians."

"My parents raised me on Dxun," said Tay'haai. "When we weren't hunting for Bomas or the occasional Zakkeg, they were teaching me about our people's history, free of the lies those morons in Sundari were spouting."

"Well, let me tell you, they are back," said Ahsoka.

"About time," snarked Ordo. "No matter how many times they are stopped, they always return or some Jedi goes crazy and starts calling himself a Sith."

Then, the door opened and in came a clone. Given how familiar he seemed to the others, thought Ahsoka, this must be Mereel. "What did I miss?" he asked.

"Nothing important," replied Ahsoka. "Anyway, I was about to tell you guys why you are here. Sit down, this will take awhile…"


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: The Hunt Begins

"So let me get this straight," started Mereel. "After everything that happened, all those deaths, bombings, the near destruction of the whole planet, and after all of that, the Jedi council still did not look into the possibility of traitors in their ranks? How stupid are these people!?"

"I had the same reaction myself," responded Ahsoka. "The only reason I accepted their invitation back was because there has to be more than one Jedi who has my views. My former master would be joining us but he's getting second-guessed regarding what happened at Taris."

"Nice to know that Skywalker, while reckless, isn't stupid," said Gilamar. "What is not nice to know is that the Jedi Council has apparently forgotten about the Rakghoul Plague. I mean, they thought the Blue Shadow Virus was gone but the Seps brought it back, with the same scientist no less."

"At least Vindi won't be causing problems for anyone else," said Mereel. "One less evil scientist to worry about."

"Anyway, it would appear our only lead is this Narrisa Dansitius. Are you sure she is still alive?" asked Ordo.

"You know that Dathomirian Zabrak that is in charge of Death Watch?" asked Ahsoka. "He is a Sith Lord named Darth Maul and he took part in the Federation invasion of Naboo twelve years ago. He was supposedly killed when Obi-Wan Kenobi cut him in half and knocked him down a reactor tunnel. Instead, Maul used the Dark Side to sustain himself, stowed away on a garbage hauler, and spent eleven and half years buried under a mound of trash on Lotho Minor until his brother dug him up and fixed him with some Dathomirian magic. It is possible that Narrisa survived, since her body was not found."

"Well, I suppose it isn't impossible," said Vau. "Although, from what I heard, Dansitius wasn't that powerful."

"Maul didn't know he had that ability," responded Ahsoka. "He only learned it under pressure. Narrisa might have as well."

"Alright, so this crazed Zeltron is our only lead," said Ordo. "Anywhere you can think of to start looking?"

"I would start at the access station which she used to reach the power core," answered Ahsoka. "It is our only lead."

"Good idea," added Vau. "It is our target's last known base of operations. There must be something that gives us a clue to her whereabouts."

"Wouldn't the site have been investigated after you stopped the world from exploding?" asked Ordo.

"The council thought it was pointless, with the apparent death of Narrisa and all of her allies," answered Ahsoka.

"Now I see why Zey ignores the Jedi Council whenever he can," murmured Skirata. Then his comlink started beeping. "Yes?" he answered.

"Kal? This is Bardan, I just wanted to update you on-""I'm sorry but now is not the best time, Bardan. I'll call you back later."

"Who was that?" asked Echo.

"Bardan Jusik was a Jedi General who got fed up with the hypocrisy of the Order," answered Vau. "So fed up that he left it. Sort of like your own general. He has been dedicating his time since then to helping us."

"I'm going to assume that whatever it is he's doing isn't endangering the war effort," replied Ahsoka. "After what I experienced, I don't really care for people who try and avoid fulfilling their duties."

"He thinks that the duty of a Jedi is to help people, not defend a regime that uses an army of slaves," said Mereel.

"I think that by doing the later, he'd be accomplishing the former," replied Echo. "As for being a slave, I've heard that nonsense before from Sergeant Slick. He used it as an excuse to betray his entire squad and join the Separatists. I think that being a slave will be rectified after we win the war."

"You think the Senate will give you citizenship after the war?" asked Ordo.

"I think that Anakin will ensure it," replied Ahsoka. "He hates slavery in all of its forms. You should have seen him on Zygerria."

"Yes, I suppose that, given his past, he would be open to helping the clones," said Skirata. "Of course, he would have to acknowledge that he is a participant in the enslavement of others first. I imagine it will take a while for him to do so."

"What is that supposed to mean?" asked Echo.

"It means that, because he grew up as a slave, he subconsciously denies that clones are slaves as well. That would make him a proprietor of slavery," explained Skirata. "Now, let's get to our speeders and go to this power station to see what we can find."

The ride to the Section A power station was uneventful. When they arrived, it appeared none of the emergency services had come down to clean the place up. There was still massive amounts of wreckage strewn across the platform and numerous corpses littered throughout the complex.

"I'm surprised no one has tried to scavenge this place yet," said Tay'haai.

"I'm not," replied Skirata. "Most of the possible access routes aside from air transport are either restricted or were destroyed in the battle." He landed his speeder on the platform right next to Ahsoka's speeder. "So, where should we start looking?" he asked Ahsoka.

"The room where I found Barriss," answered Ahsoka. "It was clear Narrisa was spending a lot of time in there, planning everything."

"Oh hooray," snarked Mereel. "We get a peek inside the mind of a terrorist."

"No," replied Ahsoka. "We're getting a peek inside the mind of a sociopath." She lead them into the complex and ultimately the room where Barriss had been held captive for almost 2 months. Everything was exactly where Ahsoka left it.

"Wow," said Gilamar when he spotted the picture of Ahsoka in the middle of the room. "What exactly does this Zeltron have against you?"

"We were rival classmates," responded Ahsoka. "When she revealed she was a murderous sociopath who killed our teacher and the rest of our classmates, I knocked her into a burning crudehouse. She has such an inflated opinion of herself that she came back two years later to get revenge."

"And she later claimed that she was a Sith agent inserted into the Order at birth?" asked Ordo.

"Yes and it's the only thing I've heard out of her mouth that I believe," answered Ahsoka. "Anyway, let's start looking around a bit."

They spent an hour and a half looking through the papers strewn about the floor. They gave a unique insight into Narrisa's mind but they did nothing to point at her current whereabouts.

"I think I found something," said Ordo. "It's a datapad with high-end encryption. I don't have the tools to crack it here, though."

"Let's go back to Qibbu's and see what we can get out of it," ordered Ahsoka. They got back to their speeders and headed back to the terribly-named restaurant. When they arrived at Qibbu's Hut, they saw a gray-skinned Hutt outside with several thugs waiting for them.

"Let me handle this," said Skirata. "What is this, Qibbu?"

"I have noticed one of my employees is missing his head," Qibbu said. "Why is that?" Ahsoka sensed that the thugs would attack them no matter what they did and decided to get this over with.

"He insulted me," said Ahsoka. "I figured you and your friends needed a little reminder that they should respect Jedi."

"Believe me, Qibbu, she is not a Jedi you want to mess with," said Skirata.

"Understood, I will make sure that everyone does so," Qibbu said fearfully.

"No! You killed my brother, me and the boys are going to-," one of the thugs said before he and his friends were gunned down.

"Is this clear?" asked Skirata.

"Yes!" trembled Qibbu. "I will make sure no one else bothers you. Just, please don't do anything else!"

"As long as your friends don't bother us, we won't" replied Vau.

"Got it!" The Hutt then slithered away.

"And that is why the Mandalorian word for coward is _Hu'tuune,_" joked Gilamar.

"Good to know," said Ahsoka. "Sorry if I ignored your instructions but I sensed the thugs would attack us no matter what."

"Another nice use of the force," said Tay'haai. "Letting you know when negotiating is pointless."

They continued into the building and went to the room they were staying in.

"This could take a while," Mereel said as he followed Ordo into the room they used for slicing.

"How long will it take for them to slice the datapad?" asked Echo.

"Should be a couple hours at most," answered Skirata. "What would you like to do until then?"

"It would be nice to learn more about you guys," replied Ahsoka. "I mean, you probably know a lot about me but I don't know that much about you. Why don't we sit down and talk?"

"Okay," said Tay'haai. "My parents lived in Sundari but ultimately moved away because they didn't want me to forget my heritage. So, they built a bunker on Dxun, the jungle moon of Onderon. For thousands of years, Mandalorians have used the jungle for training and hunting of countless creatures. The endless hordes of Cannoks, the packs of Maalraas, the omnivorous Bomas, the flying Drexl, and the occasional Zakkeg made for good challenges. It was where we stayed whenever my parents weren't on the job. There is also a huge pyramid in the middle of the jungle, which serves as the resting place of an ancient Jedi turned self-styled Sith Lord named Freedon Nadd."

"'Self-styled?'" asked Echo.

"Nadd was just a lousy Jedi who stole some ancient Sith relics, looked at them, and thought that made him a Sith Lord," answered Tay'haai. "He is among the lesser-known Sith because his rule never extended beyond Onderon. He took over the planet, isolated it from the rest of the galaxy, and started a dynasty and a cult called the Naddists, which ruled for 400 years. He is also the one who built the massive city of Iziz, which at one point extended for 200 square miles in all directions. Anyone who opposed them was banished from the city to be eaten by the wildlife which crosses over from Dxun every year when the moon briefly enters the atmosphere of Onderon. Surprisingly, some of these dissidents were able to tame the fauna and build their own society, naturally called the Beast Riders. Eventually, a Naddist princess fell in love with the Beast Rider prince. They convinced the Jedi to help them overthrow the dark side cult. Too bad they didn't stop their isolationist policies, meaning they were underequipped to defend against invasion. Forty-five years later, they dropped the isolationism completely after a brief civil war and became a full member of the Republic, albeit at the price of losing their unique culture. At least some Onderonians remember how to ride beasts. After a few years of mercenary work, I decided to train clones because I felt like playing drill sergeant."

"My backstory is not as interesting," said Gilamar. "I was born on Derallia, the most boring farm planet in the galaxy. My parents thought banking was like magic and always wanted me to take over the family Building and Loan business, especially after my brother drowned in a frozen lake. But that did not interest me, I decided to become a doctor. My uncle and his friends tried to guilt me into taking over after Dad died, but I didn't fall for it and left for medical school."

"Did you ever go back to Derallia?" asked Echo.

"Twice," answered Gilamar. "The building and loan had gone out of business and almost everyone worked at various casinos and night clubs. My family blamed me for the failure of the business and refused to talk to me. Of course, they were ignoring how there was a better economy and more job opportunities now, as well as how the business would've stayed afloat if they knew when to call in a loan. When I finished med school, I met a beautiful girl named Tani, who happened to be a Mandalorian. I later found out she was an assassin. I did not care and we eventually married. I went back to Derallia and introduced her to everyone, but they pretty much exploded with rage when they found out she was a Mandalorian, especially since I had married her. After that, I turned my back on them and firmly embraced the _Re'sol nare._ Tani was murdered several years later and I have painted my armor the color of vengeance to clue people in on what I want. I accepted this job offer because I was out of money."

"My father was the Count of Gesl on Irmenu," said Vau. "He also helped the Order of the Ffib based on Lorahns take over the planet. I never liked all the rules of that stupid cult and wanted to join the Imperial Irmenu Navy, but nothing was ever good enough for Dad, and he hit me whenever he was frustrated, even if it had nothing to do with me. Mom was a leech with mental problems who made it clear she wished that she'd aborted me. Eventually, I had enough and ran away to join the Mandalorians. I accepted the job to train clones because Jango was an old friend."

"I was born Fallin Mattran on Kuat," said Skirata. "My father worked for KDY as an engineer. When I was five, we moved to Surcaris. Shortly after arriving, war broke out and my parents were killed when our apartment building was obliterated by an artillery strike." Skirata then pulled out a knife with three sides. "I took this off my father's body and lived in the wreckage of the city for over a year. I was then found by a mercenary named Munin Skirata, who adopted me and named me Kal, the Mandalorian word for blade. I eventually met and married a Corellian waitress named Ilippi. Sadly, despite having two sons and a daughter, it just didn't work out and we eventually divorced. Later that year, I ignored an order from my commander and as a result, got my whole team killed. I took a round through the ankle from a Verpine Shatter Gun. I haven't bothered to fix it, so I will be reminded of my mistake. The reason I accepted the job to play dead for a prolonged period of time, hiding out on the dreariest, rainiest planet in the galaxy, surrounded by perfection-obsessed aliens, was because I had failed as a husband, failed as a father, and failed as soldier. I had nothing left to live for. I never imagined I would get a second chance at the latter two."

"You never tried to patch things up with your family?" asked Ahsoka. "They never tried to find you?"

"My sons tried to contact me four years before the war started," answered Skirata. "They wanted me at their mother's funeral. I could not leave Kamino and I could not explain why I couldn't come. They were so angry at me they formally disowned me as their father."

"Oh," Ahsoka said shocked beyond belief. "I am so sorry. What about your daughter?"

"Ruusaan did not join in the declaration but I have not seen her since she was eight years old," answered Skirata. "To tell the truth, I have no idea what she thinks of me."

"Look her up," said Ahsoka. "Try and see if your sons have forgiven you as well."

"Thank you for the encouragement," Skirata replied. "Maybe I will one day, but not now."

"Did growing up on a planet of Ffibers make you hate Jedi?" Echo asked Vau.

"My distaste for Jedi is because of my experiences as a Mandalorian," answered Vau. "One thing I agree with the Jedi on is their assessment of the Ffib. At least the Jedi usually won't try to kill any nonconformists they encounter. And the ones they do try to kill almost always deserve it."

"What do you mean by nonconformist?" asked Echo.

"The sort they tolerate include General Skywalker, your CO right here, and our friend Etain," answered Vau. "The sort they try to kill include guys like Dooku and his henchmen."

"What exactly is your opinion about the Separatists?" asked Ahsoka.

"Some have legitimate complaints but most of them are just motivated by greed," answered Skirata.

"They are largely made up of cowards, hiding behind machines," added Vau. "Of course, most Republic leaders apart from Jedi do the same with Clones."

"The only weapon my parents considered unethical were of the biological and chemical variety," said Tay'haai. "Given how eager the Seps are to get as many such weapons as possible, it is safe to say that they are evil. I mean, at one point, they were trying to build a 'Nanovirus', as they called it, to specifically kill clones. And you are aware of their experiments with the Blue Shadow Virus, Rakghoul Plague, that Damotite Bioweapon, and of course the Brainrot Plague they unleashed in the Weemell Sector."

"Why did your parents hate bioweapons?" Ahsoka asked.

"Probably the same reason the Jedi do," answered Tay'haai. "Because they are extremely sloppy and they are just as likely to hurt noncombatants as they are everything else."

"I think the majority of the Separatists, not counting droids, are sociopaths," Gilamar said. "I mean, there are greedy opportunists, like Gunray, Tambor, Mai, Hill, and Argente. Then there's officers, like Durd and Grievous, who have no problem testing thermonuclear weapons on neutral populations and massacring entire planets, respectively. Dooku, when he doesn't outright order such things, is perfectly alright with it happening. And I have seen the behavior of the organic members of the Separatist Military, they tend to be as sadistic and violent as their superiors."

"Agreed," said Skirata. "Unlike the Republic, the Separatists are inherently corrupt. There is corruption in the Senate but a few people are trying to change things."

"Nice to see you are all on board," Ahsoka said.

"The Seps conflict with our interests," responded Vau. "That is why we fight, same as you." Then Mereel walked in.

"We have finished decoding," he revealed.

"Alright, let's see what is on that datapad," said Tay'haai.

**For those of you who have read the book series, Republic Commando, I have tried to write the characters as close to the books as possible. I also think that Skirata deliberately decided not to fix his ankle and that he kept it as a reminder of something he blames himself for. What do you think of my idea as to why Anakin does not see the clones as slaves? Please review.**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: The Commandos

"Look at this," said Ordo. "The datapad makes reference to a facility in The Works previously owned by LiMerge Power. Dansitius went to this complex many times, both before and after she left the Jedi. It seems like a good place to start looking."

"Agreed," replied Ahsoka. "Let's check out this creepy, abandoned industrial park."

"Let's bring in Omega Squad first," said Skirata. "We could use a bit of backup on this. The squad has taken down entire armies and they have worked on Coruscant before."

"What else have they done?" asked Echo.

"On Qilura, they destroyed that Nanovirus I told you about and captured the lead scientist," answered Tay'haai. "On Fest, they destroyed a factory making Phirk battle droids. On Gafitikar, they obliterated virtually all the significant defenses present."

"What are their names?" asked Ahsoka.

"Niner is the leader, Darman is the demolitions expert, Atin is the slicer, and Corr is the sniper," explained Skirata. "Before Corr, there was Fi but he died from injuries on Gafitikar. I trained Niner and Darman, Walon trained Atin. Corr was an EOD specialist, until his arms were blown off by a mine. He was working as a desk jockey at Logistics, waiting for proper cybernetics when we met him. Ordo needed to go undercover and they switched armor. During his time with us we taught him how to be a Commando. When Fi was killed, it seemed only natural Corr take his place in the squad."

"Darman isn't picking up," said Mereel.

"Try Etain," suggested Ordo.

"She's not picking up either," replied Mereel.

"No worries, then," said Vau. "They are no doubt preoccupied with each other. I'm sure General Tano doesn't mind knowing that they are in a relationship."

"No, I don't," answered Ahsoka. "There aren't many Jedi I actually respect who think love makes people go to the dark side."

"Good to know," replied Skirata. "I am sure that Etain won't mind coming along for the ride. We will tell them to meet us there."

"Uhh…, Darman is coming here," said Mereel. "He wants to talk to you. He seems a little angry at the moment."

"Well, we all knew this was coming," said Skirata. "Listen, General Tano, I need to talk to Darman alone. I would really appreciate it if you went out."

"How long will you be arguing?" asked Ahsoka.

"I don't know," answered Skirata. "I will call you when we are ready for the mission."

"What is this about?" asked Ahsoka.

"I would tell you, but I don't know you well enough yet," answered Skirata. "Rest assured, it is very important. I will call you as soon as we are done."

"I will go check up on Anakin," said Ahsoka. "Call when you are done arguing."

After they got back to the Jedi Temple, Ahsoka went over to find Anakin. On the way, she bumped into Obi-Wan.

"Ahsoka, I was just looking for you," he said.

"Is everything alright?" she asked.

"I was going to ask you that," Obi-Wan answered. "I heard you had gone on a personal mission with several Mandalorians. Is that true?"

"Yes, and they are working for the Republic," said Ahsoka.

"For the moment," Obi-Wan said. "They might have been bribed by the Separatists."

"These guys have a sense of honor that won't let them betray a job," asserted Ahsoka. "And they are more interested in helping the Clones they trained and practically raised, than they are in making money. They aren't the Death Watch psychos you've fought. By the way, where is Anakin?"

"He has just gotten out of the Council's review," he said. "You should find him near the landing pad."

"Thanks!" Ahsoka exclaimed as she ran that direction. She soon came across Anakin.

"Hey, Skyguy!" she said. "How are things going right now?"

"Well, Snips, the council would have preferred to ground me but Palpatine defended my decision and convinced them to drop the matter," he answered. "What have you been doing?"

"I have been looking for leads on the Sith," she answered. "Master Zey at the Spec Ops Brigade believes me and has loaned several of his men to help me with this."

"That's great!" Anakin exclaimed. "Which clones did he lend you?"

"Actually, they are a group of Mandalorian mercenaries who spent the last decade training clone troopers," answered Ahsoka. "Don't worry, they aren't like Death Watch."

"I heard that a gang of Mandalorian Drill Sergeants handled Zey's dirty work," Anakin replied. "From what I have heard, the main reason they are on the Republic's side is because they think of the clones they trained as their adoptive children. Though I heard they didn't think that much of Jedi."

"They just think that Jedi in general, not you and me specifically, are apathetic to the wellbeing of the clones," explained Ahsoka.

"The legal status of the clones will improve once we win the war," replied Anakin. "The chancellor assured me of that personally. Palpatine has never failed to deliver on his promises to me. In the event that I run into someone who does not appreciate what the clone army does, I teach them how to respect their betters."

"They will love to hear that," Ahsoka said. "Why don't you come along and I will introduce you?"

"I wish I could but I promised to see-"

"Got it," said Ahsoka. Since learning of his marriage to Padme Amidala, Ahsoka had been very supportive of him. She knew Padme would understand if he couldn't come but Ahsoka would not deprive them of this. Then her comlink started beeping. "Yes?" she answered.

"General, this is Mereel," the clone on the other end said. "We are ready for you now."

"I'll be there in ten minutes," she said. She then turned off the comlink and headed for her speeder. "Nice talking to you, Skyguy," she said to Anakin as she walked away.

"Same here, Snips," he said back. As Ahsoka walked away, she met up with Echo and they got back in their speeder. They took off and headed for the restaurant.

When they arrived, they saw there were two more speeders parked in front. They walked inside and saw 7 Clone Commandos. This was strange, as a commando squad consisted of 4 clones, yet here, there was 1 and 3/4s squads. One had orange markings on his armor, another had green, another had yellow, 3 others wore entirely black armor, and the last one had red markings on his armor, complete with what had been patterned to look like blood splatter on his faceplate. Then, Skirata came in. It was clear he had been in a fight. His left eye was blackened and he had several bruises on his cheeks and his jaw.

"Alright, let me introduce you around," he said. "The ones in black are Omega squad and they are Niner, Corr, and Atin. Darman would be here but he is a bit angry with me at the moment."

"I'll say," quipped Echo. "What made him angry enough to attack you?"

"Keeping secrets," Skirata answered in a tone that made it clear he did not want to discuss it. "The others are Delta Squad. This is Boss," he pointed toward the orange one, "Fixer," the green one, "Scorch," the yellow one, "and Sev," the red one. "I believe I already told you of Corr, the EOD specialist turned commando. Niner lost his original squad on Geonosis, as did Atin. I trained Niner; Walon trained Atin. Delta Squad was also trained by Walon. As such, they share his dark sense of humor."

"Nice to meet you, General," said Sev. Sev had a noticeably gravlier voice than other clones. "Would you like to go sniping with me after this mission?"

"What are you doing? She's a superior officer!" exclaimed Fixer.

"That didn't stop Darman," Sev replied. "He has his own general."

"Look," started Ahsoka. "I appreciate the offer but I already have a boyfriend. I wouldn't mind getting to know you, however."

"I told you she wouldn't be interested," snarked Scorch. "She likes that Onderonian."

"Well, he better stay on our side," replied Sev. "Because if he doesn't, I'll use him for target practice, just like with his dad."

"What?!" said Ahsoka.

"Oh yeah, during a mission to Aargonar, Sev killed Commander Lucius Bonteri of the Separatist Army," explained Boss. "He was the leader of the Sep forces there and command wanted them destroyed."

"Oh, alright," said Ahsoka. These clones were only doing their job and Lux's father was an enemy. "So, is everyone here ready to find Narrisa Dansitius?"

"Yes, we are," said Vau. "Now, let's go find that Zeltron Murglak!" They walked toward their speeders, got in, and headed for the Works.

**For those of you who have read the books, yes, Darman just found out about Kad. I imagine the events of the previous stories made Etain decide to tell him. Right now, Etain is taking Darman to Mandalore to meet his son. Feel free to write your own interpretation of the confrontation between Darman and Kal, in addition to a little Daddy! Darman. Just be sure to reference this story.**


	5. Chapter 5

5

Chapter 5: The Works

The ride to the LiMerge complex in the Works was uneventful. Ahsoka saw the building they were headed towards. It was the only tower in sight. The surrounding buildings were still spewing smoke, despite the factories being closed for two centuries. As they got closer, Ahsoka could feel the Dark Side energies permeating through the complex. It was clear this had been a haven for the dark side for a long time.

"Alright, the tower is still getting power," said Fixer. "Thankfully, the airscrubbers inside are still working. We won't have to be breathing any of this osik."

"That's a relief," replied Echo. "The smoke outside is toxic from centuries of using cheap solvents made from Damotite. No wonder Durd came up with the idea of turning it into a weapon."

"I've hacked into the building's systems," added Fixer. "I'm opening the doors now."

"Guiding us in," Ahsoka said as she landed the speeder in the hanger. As they got out, Skirata suddenly fired at something. It was a sweeper droid.

"I thought it was one of those infiltration units," he said. "Anyway, looks like someone has moved in, if droids are still taking care of the place."

"I'm picking up movement ahead," said Atin. "Multiple contacts heading our way fast." As soon as he said that, over a dozen Geonosians ran out, all of them with sonic rifles. The Republic team quickly opened fire and Ahsoka threw her lightsaber, slicing 4 in half. The rest of the Geonosians were quickly gunned down by her companions.

"What are bugs doing here!?" exclaimed Scorch.

"Let's find out," replied Ahsoka.

"This must be bad if they are here," muttered Fixer.

"Look on the bright side: more bugs for us to kill," said Sev.

"I thought it didn't matter what species the enemy is as long as you get to kill them," replied Boss.

"Killing Clankers, Trandos, and other wets is business," clarified Sev. "Killing Geonosians, is fun."

"Don't mind him," said Scorch. "The vat he came out of was glitchy, so he turned out extra crazy."

"And the Kaminoans had no problem with that?" asked Echo. "I heard that when a clone who didn't have 20/20 vision was discovered, the entire batch he came from vanished."

"Apparently, ruthlessness is a trait the Kaminoans favor," answered Vau. "Let's see what else we might find in this place." They continued into the bowels of the complex.

As they investigated the tower, they encountered the remains of several Dueling Droids. They had all been sliced with a lightsaber.

"Looks like someone with a lightsaber is practicing here," murmured Skirata. He then picked up one of the droids blasters. "And we know that they are more ruthless than the Jedi; this blaster is set to kill."

"Now that is just wasteful," said Vau. "If a student dies in an accident, you have to go through the trouble of finding and training a new one. Of course, given how the Sith seem to encourage backstabbing, it isn't surprising that they aren't too concerned with the wellbeing of their apprentices. Sometimes, I think the only reason the Sith gain any sort of victory is because of the incompetence of the Jedi."

"You got that right," replied Ahsoka. "Narrisa never would have bombed the temple if they bothered to look for her body in the ashes of the crudehouse. Even after I tossed her out the window of the power plant, they didn't look for her corpse. Hopefully, we will find her before she does something else that kills large numbers of people."

"How touching," said a sinister voice over the intercom. It was Narrisa's. "It is nice to see you have come looking for me. Let me introduce you to my servants."

A door on the far side of the room opened and numerous droids identical to the ones lying in pieces on the ground came out. They were flanked by several figures wearing golden armor and carrying vibrostaffs. "The droids here are quite efficient at training as well as fighting. I would also like to introduce you to the Sun Guards of Thrysus. While they are not Force-sensitive, these Echani outcasts believe in the Code of the Sith wholeheartedly. They do enjoy their jobs very much and I will reward them for killing you."

The droids opened fire with their blasters and the Sun Guards charged with their staffs. The Mandalorians and clones fired back, destroying several droids and knocking several of the Echani off their feet, though the armor they wore prevented fatal injury. Ahsoka charged forward and stabbed one of the Guardsmen through the visor on his helmet with her left lightsaber while simultaneously using her right lightsaber to behead another. She then parried with her right saber and sliced off the legs of the man in front of her with her left. Skirata wrestled with a Guardsman before stabbing the Echani through the visor with his three-sided knife, pining the Sith cultist to the wall. Vau blasted another droid before using his flamethrower to burn three more Guardsmen, causing them to roll around on the floor, screaming in pain. Ordo tossed a grenade at a Guardsman, blowing the man's arms off. Sev knocked a Guardsman onto the floor and then blasted the cultist in the face with his sidearm. Six more guards charged out the door but Scorch blasted them with the grenade attachment of his rifle. Atin repeatedly rammed his retractable, arm-mounted vibroblade up the armpit of a Guardsman who had gotten close. Within five minutes, all of the Sun Guards and dueling droids were dead.

"I see you have quite powerful friends, Ahsoka," Narrisa said over the intercom.

"I would say the same, Narrisa, but that would be a lie, considering you have no idea what the word friend means," retorted Ahsoka. "Are you going to come out and fight? I'll tell my new friends to stay out of this if you do."

"Why would I do that, as I have already proven my superiority over you?" Narrisa chuckled sarcastically. "Besides, it's demolition day!" After she said that, the building started to rock as numerous explosives on the ground floor started detonating. Ahsoka and her friends started running as fast as they could. Scorch blasted a hole in the wall with his grenade launcher, letting them jump out onto an adjacent building before the tower came crashing down.

"I see why you were never friends," said Tay'haai. "Friends don't drop skyscrapers on each other."

"Got that right," added Gilamar. "She needs to die."

"I agree wholeheartedly," replied Ahsoka. "Next time we fight, I will cut her head off. Let's see if she can come back from that."

"I can't get a signal," said Fixer. "And since our speeder is destroyed, we are pretty much on our own."

"Let's get underground before we choke on the fumes of this place," added Skirata.

The tunnels beneath the Works were extremely dark, with the only source of light being Ahsoka's lightsabers.

"Wait," said Ahsoka. "I sense something headed our way."

As soon as she said that, twenty Cthons came running at them from down the hall. Cthons were eyeless mutants who lived beneath the surface of Coruscant and ate anyone they came across. Corr fired a grenade at them, killing eight. Echo shot seven more with his rifle. Ahsoka sliced through the remaining five with her lightsabers.

"And here I was hoping that Cthons were just a myth," said Tay'haai.

"So was I," said Echo. "Here I was hoping I would never run into mutant cannibals missing eyes ever again."

As they continued through the tunnels, they eventually came across a parked speeder. They got inside the speeder and took off down the tunnel.

"Where do you think this will take us?" Ordo asked.

"I'm hoping that it takes us somewhere safe," Ahsoka answered. "But I have a feeling that we will find more trouble on the other side."

"I hate it whenever I hear something like that," said Echo. "It usually means that the force wants us to suffer some horrible death."

"I keep my feelings to myself for that reason," said Niner. "Announcing bad feelings always results in something terrible."

"You got that right," replied Atin. "I am never saying those words again."

"What words are those?" asked Corr.

"I think it's best you don't know them," answered Scorch.

"What is wrong with saying 'I've got a bad feeling about this?'" responded Corr.

"Oh great," Fixer sarcastically said. "Now that you have said those words, something bad is going to happen."

"They are just words," Corr replied. Then the speeder broke down and they had to stop. Then, a large number of Cthons surrounded them.

"No, they aren't just words," retorted Sev as he readied his rifle. "They are the ultimate source of bad luck in the universe."

**I couldn't resist making a joke about how, whenever someone says "I have a bad feeling about this," things inevitably get worse. I own no one except Narrisa Dansitius. If you have questions about the other characters, go to Wookiepedia. BTW, for those of you wondering, I am ignoring most of the continuity reboot. Leave a review once you read a chapter.**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Heights of the Sith

The Cthons tossed two energy nets at the team. Ahsoka sliced one with her lightsabers and used the force to toss the other back. Three of the monsters were electrocuted into unconsciousness. The clones opened fire on the Cthons, behind them, while their trainers did so on the ones in front of them. Ahsoka threw her lightsaber, cutting through four of the monsters. She then vertically bisected one that jumped at her. Twelve more appeared in front of her and she charged, slicing through three of them. Vau lit two more on fire with his flamethrower. Skirata tossed a grenade at them, killing three of them. The remaining Cthons were gunned down by the clones.

"Alright, I believe you," said Corr. "I will never say those words ever again."

"Then you're learning," replied Sev. "At least I got to rack up my kills. Just don't do anything stupid like that ever again."

"I said I learned my lesson," responded Corr. "You don't need to hammer me with it."

"Enough talk, guys," interjected Ahsoka. "We should focus more on getting out of this tunnel."

They started walking through the tunnel and eventually found a door. On the other side of the door was a stairway. They started up the stairs, checking their corners as they moved. When they reached the top, they found another door. They went through it and emerged on the street.

"Any idea where we are?" asked Echo.

"The nice part of town," replied Fixer as he pointed toward a building. Over the door was a sign that said "500 Republica." Located in the Senate District, 500 Republica was the most prestigious place of residence on Coruscant, and had more residents living within it than some worlds on the Outer Rim. The tower was over a thousand floors aboveground and contained a massive basement beneath. It was residence to many prominent people, including businessmen and senators. Even the Supreme Chancellor himself kept a penthouse there, though its exact location was a carefully guarded secret. Unlike most skyscrapers on Coruscant, which were typically built atop older buildings, 500 Republica was built from the bedrock up. It had hundreds of private turbolifts and dozens of private landing pads. The building possessed an entire battalion's worth of security personnel, as well equipped as an actual army. If a Sith Lord was living in there, it would be next to impossible to find him.

"Can't say I'm surprised," said Skirata. "Even if the Sith that Narrisa works for isn't a politician, he obviously has a great deal of resources at his command. Fitting that he would live in the biggest, most prestigious place on Coruscant."

"So, where do we start looking?" asked Scorch.

"A very good friend of mine lives here," answered Ahsoka. "She should be here at this hour."

"Who is she?" asked Fixer.

"Senator Padme Amidala of Naboo," answered Ahsoka.

"You are friends with her?" asked Boss.

"You guys have a problem with that?" she responded.

"I think Amidala is a nice but somewhat stupid person," answered Tay'haai. "I mean, she will always go to a place where her enemies tell her they will negotiate, rarely takes precautions, and will usually only survive because you or your friends are close by on an unrelated matter. She also strikes me as the sort of person who believes those fairy tales people tell about Mandalorians."

"She will listen to me if I ask," Ahsoka assured him.

"Alright, let's see what she thinks of our claims," added Skirata.

They went into the lobby and found an intercom, buzzing for Padme's apartment. After explaining to C-3PO what they wanted, the droid sent down the private turbolift that would take them to the apartment on the 602nd floor. When they arrived, they were greeted by Padme.

"It's nice to see you, Ahsoka," she said as she hugged the Togruta. "Would you mind introducing me to your friends?"

"This is Kal Skirata, Walon Vau, Mij Gilamar, and Wad'e Tay'haai," Ahsoka said as she pointed to each of them. "They were hired to train Special Forces clones. This is Delta Squad, led by Boss and consisting of Fixer, Scorch, and Sev. This is Omega Squad, made up of Niner, Corr, and Atin, though the fourth member couldn't come along for this. You've already met my second-in-command Echo. And of course, the Null ARC troopers Ordo and Mereel."

"It is a pleasure to meet all of you," said Padme.

"It's nice to meet you as well," replied Vau.

"Same here," added Skirata.

"Am I correct in assuming that you are Mandalorians?" she asked.

"Yes, you are," answered Tay'haai. "I would also prefer you not belittle or mock our way of life."

"I wasn't going to," said Padme. "I was just wondering."

"It's nice to see you but I need to explain some things to you," said Ahsoka. "My new friends agreed to help me look for leads on the Sith."

"What did you find?" asked Padme.

"At the ruins of the power station, we found an encrypted datapad," answered Ahsoka. "After Ordo and Mereel decrypted it, we found reference to an abandoned complex within The Works. We went there to investigate."

"Did you find anything?" the senator asked.

"Dozens of Geonosians, Dueling Droids, and Sith cultists called Sun Guards," answered Sev. "We took care of them but it turned out Dansitius is still alive and she decided to bring the complex down on top of us."

"What happened next?" she asked.

"We ended up in the tunnels beneath The Works," explained Scorch. "Good thing there was a speeder there or we never would have gotten out. After cutting through a pack of Cthons, we finally got out of the tunnels, right outside the front door to this building." Padme was surprised by this.

"It seems logical that the owner of that speeder lives here," said Gilamar. "And I have a hard time believing that the owner is anyone other than a Sith Lord. General Tano agrees with my belief that a Sith Lord lives in this building."

"Really?" asked Padme. "You really think a Sith lives in this building?"

"Yes Padme," answered Ahsoka. "There have been too many coincidences for me to think otherwise."

"I will keep my eye out," the Senator said. "If I see anything suspicious I will call you or Anakin."

"Is there anything strange you can think of?" asked Boss.

"Nothing on this floor but there was something strange twenty floors down" she answered. "A fire that almost destroyed the entire building started down there."

"Thanks for telling us," said Ahsoka. "We'll go down and check it out."

They went down to the 582nd floor to investigate the fire. When they arrived, they saw that almost everything on the floor had been reduced to ash.

"I don't think we are going to find anything here," said Skirata. "Whoever set this fire knew what they were doing. I think we should go to the Jedi Temple and try to convince them of what we found."

"I think so to," agreed Ahsoka. "Let's get out of here."

After borrowing a pair of speeders from Padme, they headed toward the Jedi Temple to inform the Council of what they had discovered.

When they arrived at the Jedi Temple, they were greeted by Anakin and Obi-Wan. The clones stopped and saluted the two Generals. Anakin and Obi-Wan saluted back and then turned to Ahsoka.

"Anakin told me of what you were doing, Ahsoka," said Obi-Wan. "I am a bit surprised on your choice of company, however."

"Well, let me introduce you," said Ahsoka. "This is Kal Skirata, Walon Vau, Mij Gilamar, and Wad'e Tay'haai. These are their former trainees, Delta Squad and 3/4ths of Omega Squad."

"Heard a lot of nice things about you, sirs," said Boss. "Glad to see you again, General Kenobi."

"Have we met, Sergeant?" asked Obi-Wan.

"My squad was the team that brought back the bodies of Halsey and Knox, after they, and the clones with them, on Devaron were killed," explained Boss.

"Oh yes, now I remember," said Obi-Wan. "Unfortunately, their murderer is still at large and has teamed up with his brother, who is a hundred times worse. But you didn't come to talk about that. What did you come here for?"

"I came to inform you that Narrisa is still alive," stated Ahsoka. Obi-Wan's eyes perked up at this statement.

"Why are you so surprised?" snarked Anakin. "Your archenemy survived getting cut in half."

"Alright, you got me there," Obi-Wan joked.

"We found a datapad at the power station where she was last seen," continued Ahsoka. "It referenced a site in The Works. We decided to investigate it. After arriving, we ran into about 20 Geonosians that then tried to kill us. Then we came across a large number of modified dueling droids which, along with members of an Echani Sith-worshipping cult called the Sun Guard of Thrysus. While they were trying to kill us, Narrisa started taunting us over the intercom."

"What happened next?" asked Anakin.

"After we killed her underlings, she decided to blow the building out from under us," said Vau. "We only survived because Scorch here blew a hole in the wall for us to jump to another building. We then went underground, killed some Cthons and found a speeder in the tunnels, which emerged at 500 Republica."

That earned a shocked expression from Obi-Wan.

"So you believe that Narrisa's accomplices were situated in the skyscraper?" he asked.

"Considering how there had recently been a fire that consumed an entire floor, it seems likely," confirmed Scorch.

"We must tell this to the council immediately," said Obi-Wan.

"Will it do any good?" asked Anakin. "They haven't exactly listened to us about this sort of thing before."

"With all that happened to them, the Council will have no choice," responded Obi-Wan. "I'm going to tell the Council to assemble. I'll see you in five minutes."


	7. Chapter 7

Enemy Within Chapter 7: The Council's decision

The Council had assembled and Ahsoka had just relayed everything that had happened on her search. None of the masters interrupted her while she did so. They all just sat there patiently, their faces inscrutable, listening to every word.

"Quite the adventure, you had," Yoda said, breaking the silence. "Correct, your instincts appear to have been."

"While surviving such things are not unheard of," started Ki-Adi-Mundi, "it is still surprising that Narrisa was capable of this."

"She must indeed be strong with the dark side if she is alive," added Shaak Ti. "This is very troubling."

"I suppose the only question is why," said Kit Fisto. "Ahsoka, why didn't you come to us as soon as you found the datapad at the power station?"

"I wasn't sure if I would find anything in The Works," she explained. "When we got there, things happened so fast we didn't have a chance to report our findings."

"Understand, we do," replied Yoda. "Correct, your instincts were. Alive, Narrisa Dansitius is."

"We shall inform the Chancellor and the rest of the Order of her survival," said Plo Koon. "Because you were able to find proof of her survival, as well as your prior history with her, we have decided to place you in charge of the search for her."

"Thank you for the confidence you have placed in me," Ahsoka said. "I won't let you down."

Out in the hall, the Cuy'val Dar and the clones had just finished debriefing.

"General Tano, I just finished reporting our findings to General Zey," said Skirata. "How did the Council take the news?"

"Better than I thought they would," replied Ahsoka. "They have put me in charge of the search for Narrisa."

"Congratulations, General," Echo said. "It's nice to see that our superiors are now learning from their mistakes."

"If it is alright with you, I would like to join you on this mission," said Skirata.

"You are welcome to do so, Sergeant," answered Ahsoka. "As are all of you, but only if you want to."

"I don't mind," said Tay'haai.

"Neither would I," added Gilamar.

"Sure, why not?" Vau asked rhetorically.

"The squad and me wouldn't mind but we just got a new mission," said Boss.

"I'll have to talk to Darman and see what he thinks," Niner said. "Then I'll get back to you."

"I would like to meet him, regardless," said Ahsoka. "Would you mind introducing me?"

"No, we wouldn't mind," answered Atin. "We'll introduce you soon as we can."

As her new friends walked away, Anakin walked up behind her. "Are you sure you can trust them?" he asked. "You have only known them for two days."

"Skirata and his friends have reasons for working for the Republic that go beyond money," said Ahsoka. "They have been training clones for ten years, each of them could have retired by now, and the Clones that tag along with them don't seem like the sort that would contemplate desertion or defection, either."

"I'm not suggesting that they would help the Separatists, Ahsoka," he clarified. "But they seem to have their own agenda. One that might hurt the war effort."

"You think that a clone would willfully endanger his brothers?" she asked.

"Shortly before I met you, I encountered a clone that had been bribed into spying for the Separatists," he said. "From what I heard about them, the Null ARC troopers are very good at subterfuge and are only loyal to that drill sergeant of theirs. I think that they would go along with whatever he wanted."

"The only thing that Skirata seems to want is to build a future for clones after the war," she explained. "He thinks that Palpatine is all talk when it comes to benefits for clones."

"I suppose I could forgive him for that," Anakin replied. "He doesn't know the chancellor like I do. Still, there is something off about him."

"I don't think that Skirata would endanger any clone, much less ones he trained," Ahsoka said. "He thinks of them as his sons. He just wants them to have a future."

"And what if he thinks that the Jedi or the Republic itself are an obstacle to that future he wants?" he asked. "What do you think he will do then?"

"Desert with his clones, perhaps, but he wouldn't actively endanger other clones in order to do so," she answered.

"What about a Jedi?" he asked.

"I don't believe so, if only to avoid attention," she said. "We have nothing to worry about from Skirata."

"If you think so, I'll give him the benefit of the doubt," he responded. "Just keep your guard up around him, that's all I'm asking."

"I will," she assured him. "I don't trust him completely. Like you said, I haven't known him for very long. I just don't think he will endanger his clones. Now, I need to go to the base and round up my troops. See you later, Skyguy."

After going to the base and gathering two hardened platoons, she and Echo headed out. Using two LAAT/I gunships, they headed for level 1313. Ahsoka figured that some of the criminals that helped Narrisa when she tried to destroy the planet might know something. She decided to start with the Kintan Killers.

It took roughly thirty minutes to arrive at the gang's complex. "Alright, the Kintan Killers may know where Dansitius is," Ahsoka said to the clones in her gunship. "As such we need as many of them alive as possible. Understood?" she asked. The clones confirmed they understood and readied their weapons.

They launched their raid with lightning speed and destroyed the front gates with a blast from their gunship's missile launcher. Ahsoka then dropped down, carrying a pair of stun batons instead of her lightsabers. The clones switched their blasters to stun and opened fired. One thug ran up to Ahsoka, swinging his vibroblade. She blocked it and then smashed him across the face, knocking him unconscious. She jumped forward and hit another in the stomach with one baton before hitting him over the head with the other. She used a force push to knock several others down. She leaped forward and knocked down another with a kick to the face. She hit another with both batons in the chest. She uppercut another with her left baton, killing him. Echo then shot a thug that was coming up behind her, stunning him. He tossed a flashbang at five thugs, disorienting them long enough to be stunned. Within ten minutes, all of the Kintan Kings were dead or captured.

"Ma'am, all survivors are on the transports and headed back to base," Echo reported. "We are preparing to interrogate them now."

"Don't go easy on them," said Ahsoka as she boarded the gunship. "Feel free to get rough with them if you think they are hiding something."

"Understood, ma'am," Echo said as he boarded his own gunship.

They took off in their gunships, heading back to the barracks. Ahsoka called the barracks and told them to prepare the interrogation room.


	8. Chapter 8

Enemy Within Ch 8: The Bank of the Sith

Ahsoka arrived at the base and disembarked from the Gunship. After she disembarked, she was approached by Skirata.

"I see you are back to trashing the underlevels," he remarked. "Couldn't you have waited for me?"

"Unfortunately, this couldn't wait, Sergeant," she responded. "We are about to start the interrogations now. Want to participate?"

"That's Vau's expertise," Skirata said. "I just look scary and ask questions. Of course, Jedi are the best interrogators. They are capable of using the force to tear down the barriers of the mind."

"I think that I should learn that," Ahsoka replied. "Seems like a good time to do so. How do you know of that technique?"

"My friend, Etain Tur-Mukan, is very good at it," he answered. "She remained detached to the pain she inflicted and it was just another duty she needed to do. She thinks that she has a lousy connection to the force. I think most of her limits are a result of low self-esteem."

"I would like to meet this Etain," Ahsoka said. "Maybe I could help her gain the confidence to overcome these handicaps."

"I'm sure she would appreciate that," Skirata responded. "However, she is having problems with Darman right now. As soon as that is settled though, I will be sure to introduce you to her. I have a feeling she would like you."

"I wouldn't mind making friends," Ahsoka said. "Just so you know, I won't say anything about her relationships. I don't really care or see it as a big deal."

"Nice to know," he said. "Let's see how Vau is doing with our guests."

They entered the base and started down the corridor. When they reached the end, Vau stepped out of the room he was in.

"I hate interrogating Niktos," he said as he wiped his hands. "You can't punch them with those horns of theirs."

"I have an idea," said Ahsoka. "Niktos are from a desert planet with little surface moisture. As a result, they are terrified of drowning."

"Alright, I'll get some towels, a bucket of water, and a table equipped with restraints," said Skirata. "Then, we'll see if our friends are willing to talk."

"This could take a while, though," added Vau. "How about you try getting inside the heads of some of them, and I'll waterboard the others?"

"My thought, exactly," replied Ahsoka. "Tell me as soon as you get something relevant."

After several hours of interrogating the various Niktos, Ahsoka hadn't gotten anywhere. While waterboarding was the most effective conventional interrogation method in this instance, none of the Niktos knew anything useful about Narrisa. Some said she was just their employer, others said they only worked for her out of fear. None of them thought she was still alive. Then, after four hours of doing this, they caught a break when one of the senior members of the gang admitted that he had heard from Narrisa two days earlier.

"That crazy Mirialan wanted us to help her out in the tunnels," he said. "I refused her offer, considering the last time she wanted to get in the tunnels; she tried to blow up the planet. But, she made it clear we didn't have a choice in helping her."

"Do you know where she is now?" asked Echo.

"She said at the 1-14 power junction," the Nikto leader answered.

"What is she doing?" asked Ahsoka.

"She said she was breaking into Coruscant Central Bank," he said. "Given the last scheme she had, I didn't believe her."

Out in the hallway, they started talking about the possibilities of what Narrisa's newest plan might be.

"That junction doesn't connect to the power core," said Ordo, pulling up city blueprints that he didn't explain how he had. "Even if it did, I doubt she would try the same plan again."

"What does it connect to?" asked Echo.

"Just some sewers and a couple of small power stations hooked up to the underlevels," answered Ordo. "It does go underneath the bank he mentioned but I don't see why Narrisa would want to break in there."

"Maybe there's something inside one of the deposit boxes that she wants," Vau hypothesized.

"What could she want that is being kept in the bank?" asked Echo.

"We'll ask her once we find her," stated Ahsoka. "I'll inform the council of what we have found out. Then, we'll investigate that junction."

Ahsoka reported her findings to the council and Anakin, over the holocom.

"And none of them know why Narrisa is robbing a bank?" asked Anakin.

"No," answered Ahsoka. "Perhaps she is after something in a safe deposit box."

"Do you have any idea what it could be?" asked Mundi.

"No, and I'm not even sure if she is going after the bank," Ahsoka answered. "That was just the story she told the Kintan Kings. For all we know, she might have been lying to them."

"Okay, we'll send probe droids into that junction in case it's a trap, and you investigate that bank," said Anakin. "I'm not going to send you and a bunch of clones into some tunnels when we have reason to believe our enemies are hiding in there."

"I was thinking the same thing," she said. "I don't want to walk into some trap or ambush."

"Then, it is decided," said Obi-Wan. "Anakin and I will send probe droids into the tunnel while you investigate the bank."

"I'll inform my men," replied Ahsoka as the call ended. She then walked out of the room and into the briefing hall.

When she walked in, Skirata, Vau, Gilamar, and Tay'haai, along with Ordo and Echo were there.

"The Council has agreed with my plan," she started. "We are going to investigate the bank. Try and find something that Narrisa might want in there."

"Any idea what she might want?" asked Gilamar.

"No idea whatsoever," answered Ahsoka. "Maybe there is something incriminating in a safe deposit box and whoever she is working for can't get it himself."

"Might take a while to sift through so many boxes," commented Vau. "Why are they sending probe droids into the tunnels instead of going themselves?"

"Obi-Wan and Anakin think the risk of an ambush is too high to go in there personally," she explained. "There might also be booby traps in there as well."

"Nice to see the Jedi Council really is getting smarter," commented Skirata. "I was beginning to worry they were going to stay naive forever."

"They are finally paying attention to their own lessons," said Ordo. "Learn from your mistakes."

They went to the parking lot and got in their speeders, heading for Coruscant Central Bank in the financial district. For the last 1500 years, the bank had held the money and valuables for Coruscant's most prestigious citizens. Unlike most banks in the galaxy, it was not affiliated with the InterGalactic Banking Clan of Muunilinst and Scipio, content to work solely for Coruscant residents. Unlike the IGBC, the bank practiced repossession of property when their clients couldn't pay interest, instead of murder of said debtors. Perhaps that was why Coruscanti preferred the local bank. The CCB might take your house but the IGBC would blast it with their rocket firing tank droids. Also, unlike the IGBC, the local bank didn't try to play both sides for their own benefit. They were firmly on the side of the Republic. Hopefully, they would be cooperative enough to help them determine why Narrisa was trying to break into their bank.

They pulled up to the building, 30 stories tall. At the front of the building, there were four Trandoshans standing guard with stun batons and blaster pistols. The leader held a scanner, which he waved over each person coming into the bank. Then, it started beeping rapidly when it scanned a Quarren carrying weapons, prompting the chief guard to bite off two tendrils on the aquatic being's face. The rest of the guards swarmed in and repeatedly hit the attempted thief with their batons. They kept beating the would-be robber even after he stopped moving. After two minutes, they finally stopped, leaving the Quarren lying in his own blood.

"Looks like they take security very seriously here," remarked Skirata. "That is the first time I have seen Trandoshans employed as security guards. Makes me wonder what those guys did before they got hired."

"Probably slaving or poaching," said Ahsoka. "The only Trandoshan I met who wasn't either was a sleazy salvager. He would probably be one too if he wasn't a midget. They are all like that, believe me."

"Is there a reason for your speciesism?" asked Tay'haai.

"I was once kidnapped and stranded on a jungle island on some remote world," she answered. "A pack of those reptilian poachers had gotten tired of hunting animals, so they decided underage Jedi and other sentients would do. They were led by a bloodthirsty psycho with red, black, and yellow skin, complete with blood red eyes named Garnac. He hated me because I killed his son in self-defense and became determined to get revenge. I eventually killed him as well, along with the rest of his gang, but he killed another female padawan before I could get to him. Her name was Kalifa and she was the fifth such padawan he had murdered in that game preserve of his."

"I hope you made their deaths as gruesome as possible," said Vau. "Sicko's like that don't deserve a quick death."

"I wasn't in a position to do so," she responded as she got out of the speeder. "Let's see if the bank will cooperate with our requests."

As they walked into the bank, they got several stares from employees and clients. Eventually, they got to the front desk. Behind it was a Rutian Twi'lek man, working as the bank teller. He looked rather puzzled by the group in front of him.

"Can I help you?" he asked. "If you want to open an account, I can introduce you to the director."

"Actually, we are here to ask the director a few questions," answered Echo. "It involves homeworld security."

"Tell him that if he doesn't, he'll be spending the next two days in our interrogation room," added Ahsoka.

The Twi'lek got up and said, "I'll tell him that he has guests. If you would follow me."

They followed the teller to the office of the bank director. His name, emblazoned on the door, was Lee-Yon Sacharias. He was a Mon Cal with reddish-orange skin.

"What can I do for you, Master Jedi?" he asked.

"We have reason to believe one of your clients is a terrorist," stated Ahsoka. "We will need to look through the safe deposit boxes."

"Unlike those pseudo-neutrals in the Banking Clan, we don't do business with Separatists," responded Sacharias. "There is no way any enemies of the Republic are using my bank."

"Not with your knowledge," said Ordo. "All you have to do is let me look at your computer and we will leave you alone as soon as we are finished."

"Unless you would have prefer we go into your vault and open the boxes one by one?," said Skirata. "Then we would have to report anything illegal we find in those boxes. It would be bad for business if so many of your customers got arrested in a single day."

"Alright," the Mon Cal said as he threw up his hands. "Just don't mention this to anyone."

"As long you keep this to yourself, so will we," responded Vau. "Ordo, upload that algorithm of yours."

"Are you sure that algorithm of yours will work?" asked Tay'haai.

"I have calculated all the factors that might lead to the Sith Lord using this bank," answered Ordo as he inserted the program.

After several minutes, the computer beeped, with a name coming up to the screen.

"Only one match for my algorithm," said Ordo. "A Hego Damask of Damask Holdings."

"That's bizarre," said Vau. "Damask Holdings went under over thirty years ago. All the board members were murdered, the result of some feud with the Gran Protectorate, whose embassy burned down the next day, along with their senator."

"What about Damask himself?" asked Ahsoka.

"The youngest son of a Muun banker of the same name, whose siblings all died of heart disease, Damask was responsible for setting up the original Plasma distribution deal between Naboo and the Trade Federation," answered Vau. "He invested in numerous deals over the decades, oftentimes under mysterious circumstances. After the murder of all of his board members, in which he himself sustained injuries to his face and lungs, he went into seclusion."

"So he kept a safe deposit box here," said Ahsoka. "Why is that strange?"

"Because he died in his sleep when the breathing apparatus he wore to cope with those injuries broke down," Skirata said. "It was right after the Federation was forced off Naboo."

After heading to the vault, they found Damask's safe deposit box. After prying it open with the force, they saw the contents: a pair of red lightsabers and a glowing red holocron in the shape of a pyramid.

"Well, I wasn't expecting to find that," said Ordo. "Want to see what's inside that holocron?" he asked Ahsoka.

"That is a Sith holocron," she answered. "I don't know how to open it. Yoda or one of the other masters on the council might know how, though." "Let's take it them."

Ahsoka, Ordo, and the others returned to their gunship. They set course once again for Coruscant.


	9. Chapter 9

Enemy Within Chapter 9:

"This holocron was created by someone extremely skilled in the dark side," said Obi-Wan. "There is only one Jedi Master I am aware of who might be able to activate it."

"Who?" asked Ahsoka.

"Quinlan Vos learned many secrets of the dark side while he was undercover in Dooku's inner circle," answered Obi-Wan. "But I doubt he would want to do anything that would require the dark side."

"But this could be the most important thing he ever does as a Jedi," she responded.

"I will talk to him, tell him how important this is," said Obi-Wan. "But I don't know how he will respond to this request."

All of a sudden, Echo charged into the room.

"The west wing of the Senate building has just exploded!" he shouted.

"How many are dead?" asked Ahsoka, shocked at the news.

"We don't know yet," he answered. "But it looks bad, ma'am."

Several hours later, the final tally came in: 158 senators and 300 senate guards and assorted staff had been killed. Review of the surveillance cameras revealed Narrisa was there, flying away in a Barloz medium freighter that shortly afterward made a hyperspace jump toward Cato Nemoidia. It had false registry codes, so they weren't going to get anywhere trying to trace ownership of it.

"It looks like that whole bank robbery was just a distraction," said Skirata.

"So the holocron is fake?" asked Obi-Wan.

"No, I've checked with the bank," answered Ordo. "We were the first people to touch that box since Damask died. I think it is more likely that Narrisa never knew about the holocron."

"Well, it looks like Narrisa has escaped Coruscant," said Vau. "No tangible leads on her whatsoever. Except for that magic box we found, it looks like we are at a dead end."

"It would appear that the holocron is our only remaining lead to unraveling the Sith conspiracy," Ahsoka said. "When will Master Vos be able to take a look at it?"

"I will ask him right now," answered Obi-Wan. He then looked at the clones and Mandalorians and said "It might be best if you stay here. He thinks that clones and Mandalorians are inherent sociopaths."

"His troops must love him for that," snarked Ordo. "He might end up like Krell if he isn't careful."

"Quinlan isn't a dark sider like Krell," Obi-Wan replied. "He only worked for Dooku as a way of spying on him."

"Let's hope he didn't decide to work for Dooku for real," said Vau.

"That is a possibility but I doubt that Quinlan would do that," Obi-Wan replied as he pulled out his comlink. "While he doesn't care for clones, he is professional in his treatment of them. He is still are best hope for unlocking the holocron."

After a long talk over the comlink, Obi-Wan got off.

"He has agreed to open the holocron but he wants to be a part of the investigation as well," Obi-Wan said.

"Is there a reason for this?" asked Skirata.

"He said he likes being a spy more than a General," answered Obi-Wan. "But I have a feeling that it's something more than that."

"As long as he keeps his feelings about clones to himself, we can work with him," said Vau. "Right, guys?" The others then nodded in succession, grumbling as they did so.

Five minutes later, they met Vos in the Archives room, while he was sitting at an information terminal. Vos was a thirty-six year old Kiffar, a Near-Human species from the planet Kiffu. All Kiffar had sets of tattoos on their faces to mark the clans they belonged to, in the case of Clan Vos, a single yellow line expanding across the face directly under the eyes. Most Kiffar possessed a force power known as psychometry, which allowed them to pull memories off of inanimate objects, of which Vos was a master of. The Kiffar ruled as wardens of Kiffex, a massive prison planet neighboring their homeworld. That was until the Separatists, led by Dooku personally, invaded and killed the Kiffar leader. As for Vos himself, he was taught by a Jedi Master named Tholme, and later served in the Stark Hyperspace War alongside Obi-Wan. When he was a teenager, he rescued Aayla Secura, who was a toddler at the time, from a Wampa. When he became a Jedi Knight, he chose her as his padawan. Eventually, during an interplanetary narcotics investigation, they were both kidnapped and force-fed an overdose of a drug called Glitteryll. While they both survived due to their force-sensitivity, they lost both their short and long-term memories. Aayla, due to having memories stored in her Lekku, eventually made a full recovery. Vos, however, was only able to recall bits and pieces of his memories in the twelve years since it happened. In between that time since his memory loss and the start of the war, he went on numerous different adventures, both with and without the consent of the council. He then went undercover inside Dooku's inner circle for over a year when the war broke out, being forced to do many things in order to maintain his cover, such as assassinating a treacherous senator under Jedi protection and executing a Twi'lek terrorist who displeased Dooku. Eventually, he was forced to flee after breaking his cover. While he wore the typical robes of a Jedi Master, he also had a gauntlet made out of cortosis, a metal that caused lightsabers to short-circuit upon contact with it, a reminder that he wasn't entirely out of the Dark Side.

"Where is the holocron?" Vos asked. Ahsoka pulled it out of her bag and showed it to him. "Yes, this is definitely of Sith origin," he said while looking it over. "On Korriban, I found another holocron of identical design. Dooku called its maker Darth Andeddu, supposedly the first "Darth" Sith Lord." He then closed his eyes and meditated, causing the holocron to levitate and open, revealing a holoprojector. It activated to show a Muun in a black robe.

"Darth Plagueis holocron entry 1#: Darth Tenebrous is dead," the recording said. "While necessary, I am saddened. Despite being a Bith, he was my true father, for he had my mother seduce Caar Damask to create me. I have ascended to his place. The Grand Plan will proceed into its final stages. Now, I must find a worthy apprentice of my own."

"Looks like Hego Damask really was a Sith Lord," said Vau. "Let's keep watching and see what happens."

Just then, Ordo got a call.

"Yes, Mereel?" he answered. "Are you sure? I'll tell them right now." He then turned off the comlink and said "That was Mereel, he just found out that the charity which sent Narrisa to the Jedi Temple doesn't seem to have helped anyone else and was dismantled almost immediately afterward."

"Let me guess: it was financed by Damask Holdings," ventured Skirata.

"Indeed it was," Ordo confirmed.

"So Narrisa was always going to be evil, then," said Tay'haai. "I wonder how Damask, or "Darth Plaguis" ensured that."

"Remember when Cad Bane kidnapped all of those infants with Force-sensitivity?" asked Ahsoka. "Well, when Anakin and I rescued them from a lab on Mustafar, they were about to undergo some sort of behavioral modification surgery. Maybe Narrisa underwent something similar."

"Uh, guys?" interjected Gilamar. "Can we get back to looking at Damask's diary of darkness?"

"Nice nickname," snarked Vos. "I'm ready to continue, now." Everyone sat down again to resume listening to Darth Plaguis's holocron.


	10. Chapter 10

Enemy Within Chapter 10: Diary of the Sith

They continued to listen to the holocron Plaguis had made to chronicle his career.

"Darth Plaguis holocron entry #2: It appears I am the only one who cares about Darth Tenebrous's death. Everyone else is simply trying to grab up as much of his estate as possible, as they knew him as Rugess Nome, famed starship designer. Sadly, only I will know his true legacy."

"Darth Plaguis holocron entry #3: Tenebrous had a secret apprentice, Darth Venamis, who just attempted to usurp me. I proved my superiorty and Venamis now lies brain dead in my laboratory, a test subject for midichlorean manipulation."

"Darth Plaguis holocron entry #4: I have encountered a young human who has the potential to become a fine Sith. He hates his family, seeing them as weak and useless. His hatred of them has only escalated since they banned him from racing after he hit and ran over an entire family. Now, I only need to see if he truly has what it takes to get what he wants."

"Darth Plaguis holocron entry #5: I was correct about my young friend's potential. After a little prodding from me, as well as some inspirational storytelling, he has killed that useless family of his. I will ensure they go reported as just another tragic hyperspace accident. I will now begin his training. I have given him a new name: Darth Sidious."

Obi-Wan's eyes shot up in surprise when he heard Plaguis name his apprentice. "Is that name important to you?" asked Skirata.

Obi-Wan nodded and said "When Dooku held me captive on Geonosis, he claimed that a Sith Lord called Darth Sidious was behind the Invasion of Naboo and was now in control of the Senate. I thought that he was lying and the council agreed with me. Dooku's later actions only helped convince me of that."

"That is very interesting," said Vau. "Now can we get back to the holocron?"

"Yes, of course," said Obi-Wan.

Vos resume meditating and the holocron reactivated. The next recording showed Plaguis wearing a breath mask.

"Darth Plaguis holocron entry #6: The Gran Protectorate sent Maladian Assassins to kill me along with all of my allies. Darth Sidious and I survived, and Sidious subsequently destroyed all the conspirators along with their embassy but I have not come away unscathed. Most of my nose has been sliced off and I can only breathe with this mask on. I shall leave the day to day management of the grand plan to Lord Sidious and focus my time on unlocking the mysteries of the force."

"So that is how he lost so much of his face," commented Tay'haai.

The next several reports largely consisted of his experiments with midichloreans with several mentions of Sidious taking Darth Maul as an apprentice. Plaguis was trying to create the perfect force user through his experiments, though he did not think he had made any headway towards that goal. Another report had him reveal that Sojourn had been hit with a nuclear warhead as part of an assassination attempt on him. The last entry, however, was very surprising.

"Darth Plaguis entry #22: I have just met with Master Sifo-Dyas of the Jedi council and informed him of the Kaminoan cloning facility. I have made the introduction necessary for them to do business with Sifo-Dyas. In addition, I have made all the necessary arrangements for their funding, though we still need a prime clone. The Blockade of Naboo starts tomorrow, that should convince Sifo-Dyas of the necessity of the Clone Army and eliminate any lingering doubts."

After the last entry played out, Obi-Wan looked very surprised. Skirata noticed this and asked what was bothering him.

"Some time ago, Anakin and I went to Oba Diah to investigate the death of Master Sifo-Dyas," he answered. "When we talked to the local leaders, the Pyke Syndicate, they revealed what had happened. They had been paid to shoot down his transport by one of his associates, named Tyrannus. When I met Jango Fett, he claimed that he had never heard of Sifo-Dyas and that his contact was called Tyrannus. The Pyke drug dealers decided to take some insurance against betrayal by capturing Sifo-Dyas's traveling companion, named Silman. They introduced us to their captive in exchange for us forgetting about their murder of a Jedi Master. Not that it made much difference, as Count Dooku immediately showed up and killed Sillman."

"Why?" asked Vau. "What did Dooku have against some person who had been legally dead for over a decade? Or did he just want to fight his two favorite sparring partners again?"

"He certainly enjoyed sparring with us but the main reason, as the Pyke leader revealed before Dooku killed him, was because Silman and the Pykes knew Dooku as Tyrannus," Obi-Wan revealed.

"What!?" exclaimed everyone. "How is that possible?" asked Skirata. "That raises so many questions. Why did Dooku create an army for a government that he hates? Why didn't he try to appropriate or eliminate the clones once he decided to destroy the Republic? He certainly had the opportunity to do so, and to be honest, he wouldn't have met with much resistance from either the Kaminoans themselves or from any of us trainers." This drew a few looks from Ahsoka, the clones, and Obi-Wan. "Back then, I thought Dooku was just a crank who had legitimate complaints about the Republic," Skirata promptly said. "I didn't know he was a vicious psychopath who is willing to kill entire planets to get what he wants. Why didn't you try to look into this further?"

"We hit a dead end in our investigation," Obi-Wan answered.

"What about the Kaminoans?" asked Tay'haai. "They are a bunch of xenophobic mad scientists who kill any clone they think isn't up to their standards of quality. Do you seriously think they are trustworthy?"

"When you put it like that, no not really," answered Obi-Wan. "Do you think the Kaminoans have done something to help Dooku or the Sith?"

Echo then looked troubled and spoke up. "Maybe. I was talking to Rex the other day about Fives," referencing his dead squadmate. "He said that Fives died as a result of removing his Inhibitor Chip."

"His what?" asked Skirata.

"An implant placed inside the brains of Clones during fetal development," explained Obi-Wan. "Its purpose is to keep clones from developing psychosis."

"Who told you that and why haven't we heard of this before?" asked Skirata.

"The Kaminoans," said Obi-Wan. "At Ringovenda, a clone named Tup killed a Jedi after a parasite in his drinking water caused his chip to degrade. He later died as a result of the infection. Fives had his chip removed in a fit of paranoia and went completely off the rails as a result, before being shot by Commander Fox."

"Why would clones need an implant to prevent psychosis?" asked Gilamar.

"Jango had several less-than-admirable qualities, but he wasn't crazy. And the accelerated growth isn't fast enough to cause insanity like the Spaarti models. It's probably for something else. Besides, there are other ways to cause psychosis, such as chemicals."

"True, but how can we prove it?" asked Obi-Wan. "Do an autopsy on a clone killed in battle?"

"If only it were that simple," answered Gilamar. "Assuming the brain wasn't completely destroyed, the chip would have degraded by the time of the autopsy. The chip will need to be taken from a live clone."

"I'll do it," offered Echo. "After you remove it, place me in isolation for the next two days to see if I go insane."

"Are you sure, Echo?" asked Ahsoka. "There is no guarantee the medical droids will be able to reinsert the chip. You could die!"

"Fives was my pod brother," he replied. "I grew up with him, trained with him, and fought alongside him. I need to know what killed him."

"I shall get the operation room ready then," said Gilamar. We can begin tonight, after I make the necessary arrangements. Meet me in the _Aay'han_'s medical bay in two hours."


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

"I didn't know you were one for deep sea exploration, Sergeant Skirata," Obi-Wan said when he saw the _Aay'han_. A creation of the Mon Calamari, the DeepWater class light freighter was capable of turning into a submarine. They were very rare outside of Dac.

"It's my way of dealing with a midlife crisis," Skirata replied.

"What is that smell?" asked Ahsoka.

"We were hiding it in the sewer to avoid parking fees," said Vau. "Don't worry, there are no leaks. The med bay is still sterile."

"Still, wouldn't it be better to simply use a hospital?" asked Obi-Wan.

"Hospitals are public places, public places have spies and informants," retorted Gilamar. "We will be on the edge of the system when I perform the operation, hiding on Ulabos. No one goes to that ice cube. We'll only be three hours away. If all goes well, we shall be back in three days."

"Call us if you need anything," said Ahsoka.

"It's not too late to back out, Echo," said Obi-Wan. "If this operation fails you could die. And there is no guarantee we will be able to reinsert the implant."

"I need to know the truth, and as I said before, Fives was my brother," Echo answered. "It's my responsibility to find out what happened to him."

"Then may the force be with you," he said. "I shall come up with a cover story as to why you won't be showing up at the barracks for the next several days."

"I never thought I would meet a clone who cared for something else besides the mission," commented Vos. "If it is all right, I shall accompany you and use psychometry on the chip."

"That's fine with us, and maybe you will realize Mandalorians aren't like those freaks of nature that killed your parents," said Vau as the rest murmured yes. "Don't be surprised, we look into the backgrounds of everyone we work with."

"I'm not surprised, just annoyed," Vos replied.

Just then, Ahsoka's comlink started beeping. "Hello?" she answered.

"Ahsoka, I need to talk with you," said Anakin on the other end.

"Sure, where?" she asked.

"At the top floor of 79s," he said. 79s was a bar and motel that catered mostly to clones. Jedi patrons were rare but not unheard of. An ideal location for a meeting: little if any other Jedi present but at the same time a place where no one would be surprised by their presence. Ahsoka wondered what he might want to talk to her about.

It was early evening when she arrived at 79s. It was packed with members of the 327th Star Corps, the unit Aayla Secura commanded. The holoscreens were all on, showing different feeds from across the galaxy. On one was a pod race at Desolation Alley, the former site of a maximum security prison built into an asteroid called Oovo Four, which was destroyed during a prison riot shortly after the Battle of Naboo, along with its entire staff and all of the inmates. On another monitor was the annual Roon Colonial Games from the planet Roon, this year being hosted in Tawntoom province by Governor Bisad Koong. Koong was an extremely corrupt ruler, who, while supposedly neutral, was widely suspected of working with the Separatists to expand into the nebula called the Cloak of the Sith. Ahsoka started walking up the stairs to meet Anakin, on the way spotting Aayla and Bly going into a room together, confirming Ahsoka's suspicions that they were in a relationship. She eventually met up with Anakin at the top.

"Is something wrong, Master?" she asked.

"I'm not sure," he said. "I'm hearing that you almost got buried alive in The Works, that you and those new friends of yours are harassing the biggest bank on the planet, and our working with Quinlan Vos. What is going on?"

"While we were looking for Narrisa, one of the Null ARC troopers calculated that a safe deposit box belonged to a Sith Lord," Ahsoka explained. "Inside was a Holocron we needed Vos to activate." She then related all they had found out and informed him of their theory regarding the Inhibitor Chips.

"I suppose it is possible that Fives acted that way because he was drugged," he said. "I think Echo should have had this operation at a proper medical facility. I mean, what are the qualifications of this Dr. Gilamar?"

"He is just there as support, the actual surgery will be performed by several medical droids," she assured him. "And Vos will be there to analyze the Chip. Everything will be fine."

"I still wish you would have had me ask the chancellor to perform this operation instead," he said. "But I understand why you are a bit reluctant for that. He has asked me to meet him at the Galactic Opera House in two hours. I would like you to come along."

"I'm not sure," she said. "I don't know him that well."

"He is the leader of the free galaxy and has been a very good friend of mine for many years," Anakin said. "It would be best for you to get to know him better. Besides, I hear that Lux will be there."

"It would be nice to see Lux again," she said. "Alright, I will go with you to meet Palpatine."

The Galactic Opera House was where many senators went for entertainment, though Lux Bonteri of Onderon was not one of them. He had only come because Orn Fre Taa, the extremely influential senator from Ryloth, had invited him to see the Royal Dac Orchestra, including both Calamari and Quarren performers. While the overweight Rutian Twi'lek had a very shady reputation, Lux didn't have a lot of options when it came to choosing friends in the senate, not many people wanted to associate with a former separatist. The only other senators who were willing to associate with him were Riyo Chuchi of Pantora and Padme Amidala of Naboo. Padme was an old friend of his mother, the previous Onderonian senator, and they remained friends even after the start of the war. His mother, Mina, truly believed that the Separatist movement was a force for freedom in the Galaxy, as did his father. Lux only started supporting it after his father was killed in battle, although the rumors about the behavior of the Droid Army and its leaders started to unnerve him. Maybe that was why he didn't protest when his mother told him Padme would be coming in an effort to help her propose a peace agreement between the Confederacy and the Republic. Of course, he wasn't expecting Padme to bring a friend, much less a Jedi. Ahsoka Tano was not what he thought Jedi were supposed to be like. Of course, Dooku wasn't what he was supposed to be like either. Lux first met Ahsoka on Raxus. The young Togruta had come to mean more to him than anyone else.

Lux's mother was able to pass her motion to open negotiations with the Republic, right before Grievous destroyed a power plant on Coruscant, ensuring the senate would reject the offer. Shortly afterward, Dooku staged a Republic attack on Raxus, in order to eliminate Lux's mother and several of her supporters. Lux tried to take revenge and failed, resorting to joining his homeworld's resistance movement. Both times he would have been killed if it wasn't for Ahsoka He realized this, when she helped him and other pro-republic Onderonians rescue their king from Separatist imprisonment and later successfully forced the droid army off the planet. After that, he decided to become the senator of Onderon. While he wasn't able to help Ahsoka clear her name, since he was offworld at the time, he was able to help her and her friends stop the destruction of Coruscant shortly before she returned to the Jedi.

"I was hoping to see you here," said a familiar voice from behind. Lux turned around to see Ahsoka right behind him.

"I was just thinking about you," he said to her. She smiled at that as she hugged him.

"How romantic," an obnoxious voice intruded. Lux and Ahsoka turned around to see Ishin-Il-Raz, a prominent member of the Commission for the Preservation of the Republic. COMPOR, as it was called, was a massive group of Republic citizens that worked to support the war effort. Unfortunately, almost all of the members were human and the remainder were Near-Humans like Ettis, Bornecks, Epicanthix, Fondorians, Mykes, and Pureblood Arkanians. They also lobbied for all Coruscant citizens, whose races had aligned with the Separatists, to be banished from the planet. One of Anakin's friends, named Yoshi Raph-Elan, told Ahsoka and Anakin how he needed to protect a friend of his. She was an Echani-Human Hybrid named Lourdes. He needed to protect her from members of COMPOR's Sub-Adult Group, because they thought she was a Sephi. It was also rumored that the members of COMPOR practiced Human High Culture, an extreme form of Humanocentricism that promoted the belief that all nonhumans were unintelligent barbarians.

"Do you want something, Minister Raz?" asked Lux.

"Oh no, I was just enjoying the sight of my two favorite traitors reuniting," Il-Raz answered with a smug grin.

"I was cleared of the bombing," Ahsoka retorted. "The true culprit has been identified and will be found."

"So you say," Il-Raz responded as he picked at his mustache. "Or maybe you just like to stick by your alien brethren and pin the blame on a human."

"First of all," Ahsoka retorted, "Barriss is a Mirialan and I'm a Togruta, so we are only brethren in the sense that we are Jedi. Second, Narrisa Dansitius is a Zeltron who underwent surgery to make herself look human. Third, you should avoid calling people aliens, its offensive!"

"Why thank you for clarifying," said Il-Raz as he turned to walk away. "I shall keep that in mind." Just before starting down the stairs, he stopped and turned around. "A word of advice, Senator," the COMPOR minister said. "I would suggest you avoid any further association with 'General' Tano. I don't know how things go back on Onderon, but here, people don't like it when senators lie with Drexls or any other animal." Just before he started down the stairs, Ahsoka flicked her wrist and immediately afterward Il-Raz went tumbling down the stairs, breaking his arm and screaming in pain.

"And slugs can't use stairs," Ahsoka said hatefully.

"Are you sure that was a good idea?" Lux asked Ahsoka. "Il-Raz could cause problems for both of us in the future."

"I am never going to let a creep like that belittle me, or anyone I know, ever," Ahsoka answered. "Anyway, I didn't come here to run into COMPOR stooges. The main reason why I came here is to see you."

"Really?" Lux asked surprised. "About what?"

"Anakin doesn't care if I'm in a relationship, as long as it doesn't end up hurting me," she answered. "Lux, I care about you. More than just as a friend."

That revelation took the young Onderonian by surprise. "Well, uh, I really like you too Ahsoka," he stammered. "I just, uh, never thought you would feel the same."

"You are so cute when you blush," she commented. She then surprised him further by kissing him. "Well, that was more fun than the one we had on Carlacc."

"We kissed on Carlacc because you convinced Vizsla we were engaged," he said back. "Not to say I didn't enjoy it."

"Well, next chance we get, we could go on a date," Ahsoka said, pointing to Anakin. "It seems that the Chancellor has agreed to see me."

"Well, best of luck to you," Lux said encouragingly as she walked over to Anakin.

"You seem to have hit it off rather quickly," Anakin said to Ahsoka.

"I learned from the best, master," Ahsoka responded. "Has Palpatine agreed to meet with me?"

"Yes, he has accepted my request," he answered. He then led her to the Chancellor's private booth.

"Ah, General Tano, so nice to finally meet you formally," Palpatine greeted her. "I apologize for the misunderstanding that happened the last time we saw each other.

"You were misinformed, that is all," Ahsoka replied. "It is also nice to formally meet you."

"I have news that might be of interest to you," the chancellor said. "I have heard a report that Narrisa Dansitius is in the Bogden system. I am sure you have a personal interest in seeing her brought to justice."

"You got that right, Chancellor," Ahsoka said. "Thank you for the information."

"I only wish to help my friends in the Jedi Order," he said. "I always have."

"Just out of curiosity," said Anakin. "Who was the first Jedi you befriended?"

"Master Ronhar Kim," answered Palpatine. "He was the son of my predecessor as the Senator for the Chommell sector, Vidar Kim, who also served as my professional mentor after the rest of my family died in a Hyperspace accident. Sadly, Vidar was assassinated shortly after meeting his son. I met Ronhar at his father's funeral."

"You never found out who killed him?" asked Anakin.

"Shortly before his assassination, Vidar revealed he suspected King Ars Veruna and his prime minister, Bon Tapalo, caused an airspeeder accident that killed Vidar's wife and other sons," said Palpatine. "But we will likely never know the truth, as the Maladian who killed Vidar killed herself when Ronhar attempted to mind trick her into revealing her employer. Ronhar gave me great insight into the Jedi and I gave him insight into Senate politics. Ronhar even saved my life once."

"Really?" asked Anakin. "I never heard that story."

"It was one week after I became chancellor," Palpatine explained. "The assassins were a pair of Senate Guards who had been bribed into trying to kill me."

"Another example of Senate Guards at their finest," said Ahsoka. "If they aren't blatantly incompetent, they are outright traitorous."

"Unfortunately, I am inclined to agree with you, General Tano," Palpatine said. "That incident was what convinced me to create the Red Guards. As for the two traitors, Ronhar killed one and the other killed himself."

"Why have I never met Master Kim or heard of him before?" asked Anakin.

"He was killed, along with his padawan and all of his ground troops, two months after the start of the war at Merson," answered the Supreme Chancellor before looking at Ahsoka. "The only survivors were your friend Captain Pellaeon and everyone on board his ship, the _Leveler._"

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that," said Ahsoka. "Captain Pellaeon never mentioned that. I guess he didn't want to talk about it."

"I suppose that is the case," commented Palpatine. "As for Dansitius, I believe her exact location is Kohlma, a massive graveyard of a world, fittingly called the Burial Moon by the people of Bogden."

"Well, that's typical," said Ahsoka. "It's not like being a Jedi ever takes you to a gardening planet."

"Unfortunately not, Ahsoka," Anakin agreed. "Shall I inform the fleet to follow us there?"

"No, Narrisa would see us coming and flee immediately," said Ahsoka. "I will take my new friends and scope out the place first. I would rather you stay just outside the system with the fleet, waiting for our signal."

"Okay, sounds like a plan," said Anakin.

"Thank you once again for the information," said Ahsoka as she and Anakin left.

"Oh don't worry," said Palpatine with a hint of a smile. "It is, after all, my pleasure."

**Readers, please ignore the solid black lines, there is a glitch in the writing software. Also, I would like your opinions: On Rebels, do you think Sabine Wren is at least part Mirialan? Another thing, do you think that, when Barriss shows up (she will, the lady inquisitor is clearly her) that she will reveal that one of the reasons behind her turning to the dark side is out of anger at Luminara leaving her buried alive on Geonosis?**


	12. Chapter 12

Enemy within Chapter 12

"So Narrisa Dansitius is on a world called the Moon of the Dead," said Skirata. "Doesn't sound like a place I want to visit."

"I don't know," joked Corr. "I am sure that there are nice places on it. Not that we will see them, because Dansitius will be in the darkest, creepiest part of the moon."

"Alright, enough chatter," said Niner. "Let's get going."

They boarded the modified Consular-class cruiser that would take them to Kohlma. Consular-class ships were originally unarmed diplomatic vessels. After the start of the war, however, all of the ships were refitted to include military grade turbolasers, deflector shields, communications, and engines. The pure red color scheme had been stripped and replaced with white with red stripes. Some would say it was just another example of the increasing militarism of the Republic. Ahsoka thought it was just common sense. Even if there wasn't a galaxy wide war, there were always pirates, many of them not as nice as Hondo Ohnaka. And there was always the possibility of terrorist attacks on the way to the negotiations. The team boarded the ship and Ahsoka proceeded to the cockpit. She then began the takeoff procedure, lifting off the landing pad. When she had cleared the gravity well, she made the jump to hyperspace towards Kohlma. After they had gone to lightspeed, Ahsoka went to the conference room, to begin planning the mission. When she went inside, Omega Squad, Ordo, Skirata, Tay'haai, and Gilamar had assembled around the table, after pulling up a hologram of Kohlma.

"Okay everyone, let's start with the basics," she said. "Kohlma has a standard atmosphere, breathable for most races. The entire planet is covered in graveyards, used to bury the victims of a centuries-long civil war on Bogden itself. There are no known sentient races who live on this moon, either native or immigrated. Not very surprising, considering how the sun only pokes through the endless storm clouds one hour a day."

"Are there any records in those Jedi archives of yours about this place?" asked Atin.

"No Jedi has ever set foot on it, though that might be because the record was erased along with Kamino," she answered. "There was, however, a mention of local Bogden mythology that said the moon was haunted with all the ghosts of those buried there and anyone who sets foot on the moon is doomed to be turned into an undead slave to the ghosts who were disturbed."

"Sounds like a crazy story to frighten off looters," said Tay'haai.

"Let's hope it is," said Ahsoka. "My master once encountered zombie Geonosians kept alive by the Brain Worms that formed the hive mind. Then those worms got on a medical frigate Barriss and I were taking to Dantooine."

"I read that report," said Skirata. "It said Offee killed the infected troopers."

"Only one," clarified Ahsoka. "The worm was coming out of Trap's mouth and pining her to the wall, she panicked like most would, in that situation. And she felt terrible about it afterward. From what Barriss and the clones described of being infected with those things, those infected were in tremendous pain the entire time. Why did you bring that up?"

"I wanted to know if Offee disregarded the lives of her subordinates or was simply panicking," answered Skirata. "I will have to meet her to find out, but I will try to keep an open mind."

"Anyway, we won't know what is down there until we arrive, but it won't be nice," said Ahsoka. "Because it never is."

Several hours later, they finally emerged from hyperspace. When the ship entered orbit above Bogden, they saw Kohlma. Almost the entire moon was shrouded in darkness, with many storms in the upper atmosphere. Ahsoka reached out with the force and scrunched her face when she sensed that the dark side surrounded the planet.

"You alright?" asked Gilamar.

"Yes, Sergeant Gilamar," answered Ahsoka. "I was just surprised by how strong the dark side is here. Now I know why Narrisa came here. It will be very difficult to find her on such a world."

"Good thing sensors aren't fooled by the Dark Side," said Ordo as he began scanning the moon. After several minutes, he turned to face Ahsoka. "There is a massive concentration of lifeforms in the northern hemisphere, right here," he pointed at an area of the holomap. "It seems to be some large complex of buildings."

"Are the lifeforms sentient?" asked Ahsoka.

"Unclear," said Ordo. "There are at least 400-plus such creatures down there. I cannot differentiate between sentients or animals."

"If they are animals, it is likely they will have been mutated by the dark side," she said. "Such creatures, like Terentateks or Tukatas, are extremely dangerous. We should keep our guard up."

The ship touched down on a mountain on the edge of the ancient complex. They proceeded to exit with their weapons drawn. Ahsoka saw the complex they were about to enter. There were over a dozen buildings present, each well over a century old. In between several buildings, there was some sort of black liquid on the ground. Ordo walked up to it and held out his scanner.

"There is acid in that water," he said. "Not enough to be instantly fatal but I still wouldn't step in that." Almost immediately after saying that, a creature jumped out of the bog and pinned Ordo to the ground. It wore a huge black cloak, its face was black as ash, and its eyes were blazing red. As it started clawing at Ordo's armor, Skirata shot the monster in the face, causing it only to flinch. He then fired twice more, finally killing the creature.

"What was that?!" exclaimed Niner.

"I'm not sure," said Ahsoka. "Whatever it was, it had clearly been mutated by the Dark Side. I couldn't sense any thoughts inside it besides the urge to destroy."

"That didn't look like an animal mutated over the course of centuries," Corr said. "It looked like a devolved human."

"The ancient Sith were known to perform all manner of cruel and depraved experiments on both animals and sentients," explained Ahsoka. "The Sith Lord Naga Sadow, when stranded on Yavin Four, performed Dark Side experiments on the crew of his ship, transforming them into overgrown monsters called the Massassi. Another ancient Sith, called Karness Muur, created the Rakghouls using similar techniques. While this moon has no known connection to the Sith, it is possible the same thing happened here."

"Guys?" said Atin. "More of those things are coming for us…" He pointed toward a group of twenty creatures identical to the one that had just attacked them, being led by a taller one who wielded a wooden staff with a bone club on the end, wore a helmet shaped from a skull, and had blue eyes instead of red. The creatures rushed towards them, weathering the blaster bolts fired into them. The leader swung his staff at Ahsoka, who parried the attack but for some reason the staff did not break apart upon contact with the lightsaber. She moved out of the way and slashed the monster from shoulder to hip, cleaving it in half. She used a force push that sent a pair of the creatures flying away from Niner and Corr. Atin proceeded to stab one of the downed creatures in the head with his integrated vibroblade and then shot the second in the face with his rifle twice. Kal had blasted five of the monsters with his wrist-mounted flamethrower. The creatures flailed about before curling into a ball as they died. Ahsoka proceeded to slice through six other of the creatures. When she was about to kill the rest of the monsters, they were burned by Skirata.

"Since when can a staff withstand a lightsaber?" asked Atin.

"I have heard stories of Jedi empowering staffs with the force," answered Ahsoka. "Their staffs are capable of shattering hardened rock and resisting lightsabers. The last known example was a Twi'lek named Siolo Ur Manka, who went into seclusion over eighty years ago, until being murdered two years prior to the Invasion of Naboo by Darth Maul."

"You mean that crazy Dathomirian who took over Death Watch?" asked Gilamar.

"Yes, that is him," confirmed Ahsoka. "Anyway, few Jedi are still familiar with the technique, since it doesn't provide adequate protection against blasters, dedicated power attacks, and proficient Jar'Kai attacks."

After explaining her theory to her friends, Ahsoka lead the team into the complex, leaving Ordo behind to guard the ship. As they moved, they continued to encounter the strange creatures. Some of the monsters used blowguns to shoot poison darts at the Republic team. Thankfully, it bounced off their armor and Ahsoka dodged most of the darts. The ones she couldn't dodge were only a minor nuisance, as Ahsoka had learned how to cleanse her body of poisons and diseases through the force. As they continued on, they saw a broken bridge in their path. Ahsoka walked forward and inspected it.

"The gap is too wide for me to jump across," she said. "We'll have to go back to the ship."

"Or we could just use our jetpacks and ferry the rest of you across," suggested Tay'haai. "Though it will take two of us to ferry across a Commando in Katarn armor."

"Alright, here's the plan," said Ahsoka. "Kal will ferry me across while Mij and Wad'e take Atin. Wad'e will then return to provide backup for Niner as Mij and Kal will take Corr. Then Mij will go back for Niner and we will all meet up on the other side."

"What will you be doing?" asked Skirata.

"I will be making sure those things won't swarm us when we get to the other side," she answered.

They proceeded with the plan and Ahsoka secured the perimeter on the other side of the bridge. Everything was going smoothly until it came time to move Niner. Just as Gilamar and Tay'haai had reached the halfway point across, one of the monsters jumped forward and grabbed onto Niner. Caught off guard, the Mandalorian mercenaries dropped him. Before he could fall into the abyss, however, Ahsoka grasped him with the force and pulled him across to the other side.

"Thanks, General," Niner said.

"My pleasure, Sergeant," Ahsoka replied.

"Guys, come look at this," said Corr. Everyone walked up to where Corr was. He was kneeling over a severely mangled corpse. The ribcage seemed to have been pulled apart and the collarbone gnawed on. The body had clearly been there for a long time. Not far away from the body was a Mandalorian helmet. Skirata picked it up and examined it.

"It's made of Durasteel, not Beskar," he said.

"So he isn't a real Mandalorian?" asked Ahsoka.

"That or he was a massive cheapskate," Gilamar said. "Whoever he was, he wasn't able to get past those creatures. Let's hope we are more successful."

At the far end of the courtyard was a massive gate. Ahsoka used the force to tear it down. As they moved further into the complex, cutting down any creatures in their way, they eventually came to the edge of a cliff. There were several platforms carved out of rock at regular intervals in the canyon and on the other side was a massive doorway into another building. Ahsoka looked at the chasm.

"I can use the force to jump to the closest of those formations," she concluded. "It is also close enough for me to grasp one of you and pull you across, so it won't take as long."

After repeating the process three times, they reached the ancient doorway. Upon entry, they were attacked by fifty of the monsters, twelve of which were wearing skull masks and wielding staffs. One of the staff-wielding creatures charged Ahsoka, who blocked and then used a Jar'Kai scissor movement to slice through the staff and her opponent's neck. Each of the Mandalorian sergeants opened up with their flamethrowers, burning half of the abominations to cinders. Corr tossed a grenade at a swarm of them, blowing another five to pieces. The other commandos fired their weapons in tandem and killed most of the ones remaining. Ahsoka jumped behind the monsters and cut the remaining three apart. As they proceeded into the room, they eventually found a grate on the other side of the wall. Its hinges had been burned off, either with a lightsaber or a cutting torch of some sort. Niner examined the marks left by the cutting instrument.

"Based on the amount of rust, I would say this grate was cut through several years ago," he concluded. "It feels as if we are retracing the steps of previous visitors to this place."

"But we haven't seen any corpses, apart from the single one at the entrance," Ahsoka brought up. "I think it is more likely that we are now following the path of a single adventurer, who may or may not have gotten off this world."

"Well, if he did get off this moon, he probably wanted to forget about all the horrors he saw here," Tay'haai hypothesized. "That would make sense why we haven't heard anything about this place."

Shortly after they exited the grate, they came to the edge of a cliff. They repeated the previous process necessary to get across the chasm, at which point they finally entered to fortress proper. As they proceeded, they continued to encounter more of the monsters, dispatching every one of them. After many twists and turns, crossing many gaps as well, they finally entered a room that seemed to be at the heart of the citadel. Upon entering, they saw a blue mist coming out of the floor, forming the shape of a skull.

"I guess whoever lives here sure isn't subtle about their allegiance to the dark side," Skirata concluded. "Neat trick, though. I wonder if our mysterious adventurer had anything to say to the previous owner, though." He pointed to several areas across the room where blaster bolts had impacted, indicating there was a fight there. He kneeled down and saw what seemed to be a pair of lightsaber cuts across the ground at equal intervals. "Interesting," the Mandalorian concluded. "Makes me wonder what else we might find here."

As they proceeded down the hallway, directly behind the creepy mist, they came into a massive room with a giant stained glass window. On the foot of the steps leading up to the window, there was a second decayed corpse. She-it was clear this was a woman-did not seem to have been twisted by the dark side like the other creatures were. Most of her flesh had rotted away in the years since her death but there was enough left of her to indicate she was once quite beautiful. She seemed to have been broken against the stairs. Gilamar walked closer and examined the corpse, extending his helmet antenna in order to scan the body.

"Body has been deceased roughly ten to twelve years," he said. "Lower spine shattered, half her ribs broken, the rest cracked. Numerous blaster burns to her shoulders. I would say that she was still alive after her body was slammed against the steps."

"How long did it take for her to bleed to death internally?" asked Tay'haai.

"I didn't say she did that," answered Gilamar. "She died when her windpipe collapsed, though strangely there are no marks on her throat to indicate strangulation or blunt trauma."

"Are you saying that someone choked her to death with the force?" asked Ahsoka.

"It seems that way," Gilamar answered.

"Take her DNA samples," Ahsoka ordered. "When we get back, we'll see if she matches up with any Jedi gone missing in the last decade."

As Gilamar scraped skin cells off the corpse, the rest headed toward the giant window. Ahsoka used the force to shatter the glass. The team looked down and saw a massive collection of plants, each of which was glowing bright blue. Ahsoka then grasped one of the plants with the force to pull it close, at which point Skirata took several leaves from the plant for later study.

"What is this?" Skirata said as he placed the leaves in a sealed bag.

"I don't know, Sergeant," said Ahsoka. "But it courses with the dark side."

As they prepared to leave the room, the door went flying off its handles. Narrisa came charging in, followed by dozens of monsters. She leaped at Ahsoka, who blocked the attack with her lightsabers.

"I see you have let yourself into my new home," the Zeltron said. "How do you like it?"

"I think it suits you," Ahsoka said, kicking the Sith acolyte back. The others were blasting Narrisa's monsters while Skirata was attempting to contact Ordo. Ahsoka lunged at Narrisa, who dodged the attack. Narrisa slashed and Ahsoka parried before immediately countering. She then followed up with a quick slash, grazing Narrisa's thigh and causing the Zeltron to fall down in pain. Before Ahsoka could follow up on the strike, one of the monsters tackled her. Ahsoka blasted the creature away with a force push and rolled out of the way to avoid being impaled on Narrisa's lightsaber. She then slashed at Narrisa's feet but the Zeltron jumped out of the way. Ahsoka then continued her assault on Narrisa. Unlike their last encounter, however, Narrisa put up a strong defense, and grabbed several objects with the force and tossed them at Ahsoka, who dodged them. Narrisa then extended her hand, shooting out lightning bolts. Ahsoka hastily blocked the force lightning.

"My master has taught me a few tricks sense we last saw each other, Ahsoka," Narrisa boasted. "I will show you true power." She was then shot in the shoulder by Atin, causing her to collapse on her knees. She jumped away to avoid the grenade Corr fired at her, running across the ceiling to avoid the blaster bolts fired on her from Ahsoka's companions, who had dealt with the monsters accompanying her. She tossed something into through the broken window at the end of the room, causing an explosion. Ahsoka used the force to deflect the glass shards away from her and her friends. A ship then appeared and extended its ramp, allowing Narrisa to jump onto the ship. The vicious Zeltron then looked back with a cruel smile, the blaster bolts being absorbed by the ships deflector shields.

"It's been fun to see you again, Ahsoka, but I must depart," she said. "I have learned to synthesize the Bando Gora's neurotoxin and build my own army of relentless drones. You will not get to see them, however." She then pressed down on a detonator, causing a series of explosions throughout the Citadel as the ship flew away.

Ahsoka and her friends ran out of the room to escape the ensuing conflagration. Running through the crumbling castle, they eventually came to a ledge. Thankfully, Ordo showed up with the ship to get them out of there, lowering the ramp. Ahsoka jumped on first and the Sergeants each strained to carry one of the commandos with them. Gilamar and Niner, however, fell back and were holding on for dear life. Atin pulled Gilamar up from while Ahsoka grabbed Niner's arm and pulled him onto the ship with them. The ramp then closed and Ordo flew them out of there before the complex was engulfed in a firestorm. Niner looked at the exhausted Ahsoka.

"How could you have pulled me up?" he asked. "I'm twice as big as you out of this armor and I have a full load of gear on me."

"I have been forced to pull up my master and Obi-Wan from ledges on several occasions," she answered. "I have learned how to use the force to bolster my strength as a result. Though I haven't done so with someone as heavy as a fully equipped clone commando before."

"Well, there's a first time for everything," Atin said.

"Everyone alright back there, Kal'Buir?" Ordo asked over the comm.

"Yeah, we're alright back here, Ordo," answered Skirata. "Did you track that ship Dansitius used?"

"I was, until it turned invisible," the Null Captain said. "I'm taking us back to Coruscant."

"Of course she would have an invisible ship!" Atin said.

"What did Ordo call you?" asked Ahsoka.

"Kal'Buir, which in the Mandalorian language means Papa Kal," Skirata clarified. "It's the nickname the Nulls came up for me."

"Nice to see how much they mean to you," replied Ahsoka exhausted.

Ahsoka went to the couch in the lounge, fell down on it, and drifted to off to sleep.

**How did you like the chapter and my explanation for Ahsoka's occasional superhuman strength? If you guys want a good picture of what Kohlma and the complex looked like, watch a video playthrough of Star Wars Bounty Hunter's last three levels. Please review, everyone.**


	13. Chapter 13

Enemy Within Chapter 13

"So Dansitius has created some form of Sithspawn?" asked Obi-Wan. Ahsoka was in the Council chamber relating what she and her team had encountered on Kohlma. In addition to the counselors, Anakin and Arligan Zey were also present and Palpatine was there by hologram.

"No, she claimed to have copied the methods of an organization called the Bando Gora," Ahsoka clarified. All of the councilmembers were visibly surprised by this. "Does that name mean something?" she asked.

"The Bando Gora are a dark side cult of unknown origin and no known affiliation to the Sith, that turned people into slaves with a neurological toxin of their own design," Plo Koon explained.

"Even on Tatooine we heard stories about them," added Anakin. "Gardulla the Elder was rumored to have some sort of business arrangement with them. It most likely was a major contributing factor in her death-by-Krayt Dragon."

"Though they have not been seen in the galaxy since shortly after the Invasion of Naboo," Shaak Ti said. "We assumed they were extinct."

"Hmm, they are, perhaps," said Yoda. "And Narrisa simply stole their toxin. An explanation for their long absence, that is."

Just then, Mij Gilamar and Kal Skirata entered the room and saluted. Gilamar had been using the Temple science lab to analyze the plant they had taken with them from Kohlma and Skirata had been comparing the DNA from the corpse against records of missing Jedi.

"Ah, Doctor Gilamar, Sergeant Skirata, what have your investigations revealed?" asked Zey.

"My analysis of the plant we took revealed that it contained a mutagen that causes severe damage to the parts of the brain dealing with free will," explained Gilamar. "From what I can gather, the plant was altered on a subatomic level in order to produce this toxin. Yet I can find no indication it was subjected to chemical enhancement."

"There have been times where the Force has been used in such a manner," said Stass Allie. "Typically as a way to either heal injuries or create medical vaccines. I have never heard of it being used in a manner such as this before, however."

"I will try to take comfort in that," said Skirata. "As for what I found, the DNA in that corpse we found had somehow degraded. So I was unable to find a perfect match, so I was forced to narrow it down to these four likely candidates." He then pulled up for holoimages in front of the council for them to inspect. After several moments of looking at the pictures, Plo spoke up.

"This one, Komari Vosa, was last seen on Baltizaar fighting the Bando Gora," he said. "Padawan Vosa was an extremely skilled apprentice but this was hampered by rumors that she had developed an unhealthy attraction to her master. We were actually contemplating if she would be allowed to undergo the trials at all when she snuck off to Baltizaar. The survivors of the mission said that they had been separated from her by an explosion. Her master was convinced she was alive. And it would appear that Dooku had found her, given her cause of death."

"Dooku was her master?" Anakin asked.

"His last apprentice before leaving the Order," said Obi-Wan, who then scratched his chin in contemplation looking at the picture of Vosa. "I might be imagining things but those lightsabers on her belt look exactly like the ones Ventress uses."

Anakin looked closer as well. "You're right, Obi-Wan," he concluded. "I guess we now know why you didn't find her lightsabers, Ahsoka."

"So Vosa was captured by the Bando Gora, brainwashed into becoming their new leader, which is the most likely scenario given her mental instability, and became a threat to Dooku's plans, prompting him to kill her?" asked Ki-Adi-Mundi.

"I think it was more than that, Masters," Ahsoka answered. "For one thing, it was clear that she had been hit repeatedly with blaster fire. None of the Bando Gora creatures we encountered possessed anything beyond Stone Age weapons. We did not find any modern weaponry during our trek through that place. It is unlikely that Vosa was using a blaster in conjunction with a lightsaber. Dooku would not use a blaster and he wouldn't need help in order to kill his crazy apprentice. I think it was more likely that Dooku had one of his agents defeat her, then proceeded to execute her himself. Which brings up another question: why would Dooku have her neutralized by an underling? If he was preoccupied elsewhere, why did he come to execute Vosa personally? He could have easily killed her on his own and he wasn't doing anything else at the time."

,"Hmm, cunning, Dooku is," Yoda said. "Perhaps a test, it was, for the minion."

"On Kamino, Jango Fett claimed he was hired by a man called Tyrannus on a moon in the Bogden system," Obi-Wan recalled, causing the two Mandalorians to bristle. "We all know that Tyrannus is Dooku's alias, most likely his Sith name. Defeating an entire army of mindless cultists, and the Dark Jedi leading them, would be extremely difficult, proving Fett's value as a cloning template."

"And he would most likely have to find his way to Kohlma on his own," said Anakin. "He likely had to blast his way through hordes of Bando Gora affiliates, such as Gardulla, in order to find Vosa's location."

"That is very intriguing, but has the location yielded any new evidence?" Windu asked Zey.

"Unfortunately not, Master Windu," the leader of the Special Operation Brigade answered. "The explosives that had been placed beneath the compound incinerated everything that might have lead us to Dansitius and her master."

"Hmm, then operate, we must, on assumption rather than fact," said Yoda.

"I am sorry my lead turned out the way it did, Master Tano," said the Chancellor over the hologram.

"That is alright, sir," Ahsoka replied. "We still learned what Narrisa was doing, though I can't be sure that we stopped it."

"What do you mean, Ahsoka?" asked Plo.

"Before she set off the bomb, Narrisa claimed she had learned how to synthesize the toxin," she answered. "Narrisa, despite what she thinks, isn't as good a liar as she imagines herself to be. I would have known if she was making it up."

"If Narrisa has found a way to replicate the toxin of the Bando Gora, there is no telling what she will do with it," Obi-Wan stated. "I will alert all commands of the threat she now poses and to be on the lookout for the creatures you described."

After they had left the Council chamber, Ahsoka introduced the team to Anakin formally.

"Everyone, I want you to meet my master, Anakin Skywalker," she said to them. "Master, this is Sergeants Kal Skirata, Mij Gilamar, and Wad'e Tay'haai. They have been training clones for almost a whole decade."

"Nice to meet you, General Skywalker," Skirata said. "I have heard much of your exploits. I am also impressed by how highly your men think of you."

"Well, I was rather surprised that to hear that the clones you trained call you father," Anakin replied.

"There was no one else they could call that," the Mandalorian said. "I was a little surprised how well they think of you, given your reckless strategies."

"As Master Secura said, only the good Jedi are reckless," Anakin said back. "Given your operations, I didn't think you would have a problem with unconventional tactics."

"I don't," clarified the sergeant. "As long as they aren't unnecessarily dangerous to the men who carry them out."

"If I didn't think they would survive, I would come up with another plan," Anakin scowled. "Do you think this war is easy for the Jedi as well?"

"Well, our friend Bardan Jusik said that apart from the first battle of Geonosis, the Jedi have suffered little in the way of casualties compared to the GAR," Tay'haai said.

"Then this Jusik is an idiot," Anakin retorted. "Of course more clones die than Jedi, because there are more clones than Jedi. More Jedi died in the first battle of Geonosis because there were over two hundred Jedi, Masters, Knights, and Padawans present. I would know, since I was almost one of them. The last mission I had as a Jedi Padawan was on Jabiim. Apart from me and Obi-Wan, only four Jedi survived. I was forced to watch a fellow apprentice die along with her boyfriend, the psychic connection she shared with him causing her mind to be shredded by the experience of him being disintegrated on a molecular level. Obi-Wan was held captive for over a whole month after saving several clones from a downed transport. By the time we won, most of the other Jedi, twenty-three in all, had been killed, Obi-Wan was comatose after I had rescued him from the Separatists, and I was forced to condemn thousands of Jabiimi to death to ensure the survival of the clones. In other words, I chose the lives of clones over the lives of the people they were created to protect." Anakin paused and looked Tay'haai directly in the eyes. "Do you still think the Jedi lack compassion for clones? And I don't mean barbarians pretending to be Jedi like Krell."

"I'm sorry, General," Tay'haai quickly apologized. "I didn't know this was such a sore subject for you. The Guardian Trio has earned my respect, as have those friends of yours. Numerous Jedi also have a well-deserved reputation for compassion to their troops. But Iri Camas, Zey's predecessor as SOB director, never had such a reputation, and for good reason."

"Why do you _think_ Master Zey replaced him?" asked Anakin. "Camas was planning to do a possibly lethal reconfiguring of perfectly competent ARC Troopers because they questioned his plan for a mission! He later planned to bombard a planet, just to kill a bunch of clankers, regardless of the fact a Jedi and his command would be killed along with them. Master Yoda did not trust him in a command position. When Camas tried to regain his former status by apprehending Asajj Ventress on his own, and predictably got killed as a result, Yoda simply shrugged it off and used it as a lesson against arrogance. That is how little the Council thought of that mynock who believed himself to be a Jedi Master." Anakin then looked in Ahsoka's direction.

"Ahsoka, I need to talk to you," he said.

"Of course, Anakin," she answered. She then looked at the others before saying "I'll catch up to you in a few minutes."

"Sure thing," said Skirata as he and the others walked out. Ahsoka then walked with Anakin to the room they shared when she was still his apprentice.

"What did you want to talk about, Skyguy?" she asked.

"Echo," he clarified. "Specifically his brain surgery to remove the Inhibitor Chip. Why did you agree to that, after what happened to Fives?"

"Echo volunteered," she answered. "He wants to be sure that it does what the Kaminoans say it does. Fives was the brother he grew up with. Quinlan Vos, a whole team of medical droids, and one of Skirata's friends is there with him. They can keep Echo from hurting himself if he does indeed go crazy without the chip."

"Well, given how we learned Dooku created the clones, I suppose it would be best to be sure," he said. "I trust the clones but they have been mind-controlled before. Just make sure that Echo comes out okay."

"I will," Ahsoka assured him. "I'm just going to see him now. Also, could you please keep this secret from the chancellor? I would rather he not panic."

"Of course, Ahsoka," he said grinning. "He has enough to worry about already."

After she had returned to Skirata and the rest of the team, they got in a speeder truck piloted by a Wookiee associate of Skirata's, named Enacca. As the Wookiee ferried them to the _Aay'han_, Skirata spoke up.

"Well, it seems that General Skywalker isn't afraid to show his temper," he said to Ahsoka.

"He just doesn't like it when people don't appreciate all the things he and the other Jedi do," Ahsoka said back. "He reserves his anger for the battlefield or interrogating prisoners. Very few of the Separatists are capable of surviving his wrath."

"Making a Jedi angry is never a good idea," Skirata commented. "Some people never seem to realize that, and they usually pay the price."

Just then, Enacca announced they had arrived at their destination. As they left the truck, Skirata thanked the Wookiee and they proceeded inside the _Aay'han_. As they entered, they were greeted by Vau.

"Where is Master Vos?" asked Ahsoka.

"He was called away on something important," Vau answered. "So what did you find on Kohlma?" he asked in turn, at which Ahsoka told him everything they encountered. He listened carefully and nodded at their discoveries until she told him they had found a corpse with Mandalorian armor.

"So that's what happened to Montross," he mused.

"Who's Montross?" asked Ahsoka.

"An old rival of Jango," Vau answered. "He was kicked out of the True Mandalorians for leaving Jango's adoptive father, Jaster Mereel, to die. He became a bounty hunter more interested in terrorizing his quarry than receiving any money for it. At roughly the same time Jango was recruited to supply genetic material for the clone army, Montross destroyed Outland Transit Station. One of the victims was the owner, Rozatta the Toydarian, Jango's handler for his early bounties. This was all in an effort to kill Jango, presumably because he was competing with Montross for the bounty on this Vosa. Jango did say he avenged the death of Rozatta by feeding Montross to wild animals. I guess it sounded better than drug-addicted zombies."

"From what you describe, it is fortunate that Montross didn't become the clone template," Ahsoka stated.

"Very fortunate," Vau answered. "But that is not why you are here. Come and I will show you what we have discovered."

Ahsoka and the others followed Vau into the _Aay'han_. They arrived at the medical bay. Inside, Echo was lying down on a bed with a medical droid standing over him. The droid walked over and greeted them.

"Nice to see you as well, 1-1B," Ahsoka said to him. "Is Echo alright?"

"Brainwave activity is normal, he is physically stable, there is no indication he will suffer a psychotic break," said 1-1B as he listed off his findings. "I have concluded that the Inhibitor Chip does not prevent psychosis from occurring in clones. The symptoms that ARC Trooper Fives displayed resemble that of someone injected with Compound 07891527: paranoid delusions, imagining things that aren't there, and a lack of self-preservation instinct."

"So the Kaminoans lied about the Inhibitor Chip," said Skirata. "I am completely unsurprised by this. What did you learn about the Inhibitor Chip itself, Doc?"

"Well, sergeant, I have been able to determine that it is a behavioral modification implant," said the Medical Droid. "When the individual with this chip receives the proper stimuli, it will compel them to act in a certain manner."

"What manner?" asked Ahsoka.

"I will have to do further testing at the proper facilities to ascertain that," he answered.

"Well, whatever the function is, it can't be good," Ahsoka concluded, to the agreement of the others. "The medical lab at the Jedi Temple will have the equipment necessary to analyze the chip further."

"Then it seems that we are going there next," said Skirata.

**Please read and review. BTW, I will be taking a break from this story and writing a new one. It will be a reimagining of the Battle of Jabiim from the comics.**


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

"You believe that Fives went psychotic because he was drugged?" asked Shaak Ti's hologram.

"That is what 1-1B thinks," said Ahsoka. "His medical diagnoses have never been wrong before, so yes, I believe him."

"Hmm, secretive and narcissistic, the Kaminoans are," said Yoda. "Contact with Dooku, as Tyrannus, they likely have."

Skirata bristled at Yoda's statement. It still bothered him to hear that Dooku was the one who financed the creation of the clone army. He thought that if he couldn't find that out on his own, it was even less likely he would find a treatment for the accelerated aging all clones suffer from.

"I suppose that such a thing is possible," said Shaak. "I shall see what the Kaminoans have to-"

"I'm sorry for interrupting, General," said a clone who then walked into view of the holoprojector. "But there is a situation occurring in the Kaminoan council chamber that requires your attention."

"I will call you back as soon as this is resolved," said the Togruta Jedi Master.

While waiting in the hallway for the meeting to resume, Ahsoka saw Skirata walk up to Anakin.

"I am sorry we got off on the wrong foot, General," said Skirata. "It is just that most of the Jedi I meet don't seem to care about the wellbeing of the clones. As a result, I often neglect to notice that the Jedi need to make many sacrifices, such as your friends on Jabiim."

"Perhaps you could keep in mind that the Jedi need to balance the welfare of their troops with that of the whole galaxy," Anakin pointed out. "Zey does not strike me as uncaring, self-righteous, or even unpleasant in general."

"I know where you are going with this," said Skirata. "Yes, I suppose that I am just a racist old jerk who never bothered to look past my prejudice whenever I meet Jedi."

"Given how you think that everyone you meet believes the stereotype of Mandalorians as violent barbarians who openly enjoy being brutal thugs, maybe you should keep your bigotry to yourself," Anakin replied.

"I will try," said Skirata. "You and Ahsoka certainly weren't at all what I thought you would be like. And I guess that Zey isn't as bad as I think he is, if he has put up with me after everything I've pulled."

Then, Rex ran up to Anakin.

"Sir, the Council is reconvening now," the Captain said. After hearing that, Ahsoka and the others walked back to the council chamber. Shaak Ti's hologram was sitting on her seat once again.

"Lama Su just killed Nala Se," she revealed.

"What?!" exclaimed Ahsoka. "Why?"

"The security cameras present in the chamber reveal that she did indeed drug Fives during the flight to Coruscant," she explained. "The Prime Minister was angry at how you discovered her part in Fives's death. He ranted about how their whole contingency, whatever that means, was now compromised and then he shot her."

"Let me talk to him," said Skirata. "I will get him to tell us what contingency he was talking about."

"Unfortunately, Sergeant Skirata, that is impossible," she said. "Before I could cut through the door, he said he would be butchered like Ko Sai and killed himself before I could stop him."

"Fierfek," muttered the Mandalorian Sergeant to himself. "I knew I should've dumped her corpse back in that underwater trench on the resort planet I found her on."

"There is something very wrong with you, Sergeant Skirata," Master Ti said.

"True, that is," agreed Yoda. "But tell the truth, I sense he did, about her suicide. Reasons why the Kaminoans lied about the inhibitor chips, must be found. Until then, may the Force be with all of us."

Later…

Ahsoka was sitting next to Anakin. He had just ordered the Inhibitor Chips removed from every clone under his command. Ahsoka had done the same with her troops, and numerous other Jedi were following suit.

"There have been no new developments regarding the true nature of the chips," said Anakin. "No one has seen any trace of Narrisa either. What has Skirata turned up, Ahsoka?"

"He is going on leave," she answered. "He is looking for his birth sons and daughter in hopes of reconciling with him. Also, the fourth member of Omega Squad has just returned to active duty after a prolonged absence for reasons unknown."

"Well, hopefully Skirata is able to do so," said Anakin. "Because of our recent missions, we are being granted leave."

"Great," said Ahsoka. "It will be nice to catch my breath after everything that's happened."

"I am going on a vacation with Padme, to a place where no one knows who we are, so we can just be a normal married couple," said Anakin. "What would you like to do Ahsoka?"

"Lux offered to show me around Onderon," she said. "I feel like taking him up on his offer."

"Go ahead," encouraged Anakin. "It would give you to a chance to explore your feelings."

"Really?" asked Ahsoka. "I thought you didn't like him that much."

"I was a little suspicious of him at first, and I definitely didn't like it when he dragged you to Carlac," Anakin explained. "But I can't really blame him for his parents being fooled by Dooku. As for trusting Death Watch, we all hastily do things we might later regret while grieving. I would know."

Ahsoka nodded. Anakin had implied that, when his mother died, he did something he wouldn't normally have done. He hadn't elaborated and she didn't want him to talk about a subject that made him uncomfortable.

"Well, I hope that you and Padme have fun wherever you are going," she said. "I now going to take Lux up on his offer."

"You two also have fun," Anakin said to the young women he thought of as his sister.

Later, at 500 Republica…

Ahsoka was just outside the door to Lux's apartment, knocking on the door. After looking through the security camera, he opened the door.

"It's nice to see you, Ahsoka," he said smiling.

"You too, Lux," she replied. "I am here to take you up on your offer to explore Onderon."

"That's great, Ahsoka," he said back. "I will tell Saw to get the ship ready."

"Saw is your chauffeur?" she asked incredulously. Saw Gerrera, the brother of the late Steela Gerrera, was one of many Onderonian rebels she worked with. He and Lux were a bit confrontational at first but tensions later cooled between them. Still, she couldn't imagine Saw ever agreeing to be Lux's driver.

"No, General Tandin supposedly received a message from my father and he didn't want to discuss it on an open channel," Lux explained. "Since he couldn't come himself, he decided to have Saw deliver the message."

Ahsoka was shocked. The first time she met Lux, she learned that his father was killed by clones, later learning it was Delta Squad who did so.

"You aren't going to check it out?" she asked.

"It is probably a trick to kill or capture me," he said. "The entire base he was at was destroyed, with no survivors. That was almost two years ago. There is no record of him in the POW system."

"But what if it is your father?" she asked.

"My father was a Separatist fanatic," said Lux. "If that really is him, he has most likely bought Dooku's lies about Mom being murdered by the Republic, me falling for Republic propaganda, and is trying to re-educate me to his way of thinking. To tell the truth, a part of me was relieved to hear he wouldn't be coming home. He was very demanding of me and generally unpleasant."

"Your mother seemed to think he was a good person, if a bit hot-headed," she pointed out.

"They were actually considering a divorce at the time he was supposedly killed," Lux explained. "She was just thinking of an idealized image of him, not who he actually was. You wouldn't like him anyway."

"Why not?" she asked.

"He was an old-school Onderonian isolationist," Lux explained. "As such, he was disdainful of both Jedi and most nonhuman races, he actually criticized Dendup on several occasions for not being stricter when it came to immigration. If he found I was friends with you, he would probably disown me."

"I see why you don't like to talk about him," she said.

"Indeed," said Lux. "It's just depressing to think about."

Just then, the door opened and in walked Saw Gerrera.

"Ahsoka?" he asked.

"Nice to see you again, Saw," the young Jedi said back.

"It is nice to see you again to, Ahsoka," he said. "I haven't seen you since…" he stopped himself. Ahsoka couldn't help but feel bad. Clearly he hadn't forgiven himself for causing Steela's death.

"Yeah," she said, deciding to quickly change the subject. "You must be wondering why I am here. Well, I decided to take Lux up on his offer to show me around Onderon."

"Well, in that case you need my help," Saw said. "This city dweller can't show you around Onderon like I can."

"You know, I know how to fly a Drexl to," Lux teased his friend.

"I know, but you'll never be a Beast Rider like I am," Saw joked back.

"Guys," interrupted Ahsoka. "We have already fought through one civil war, let's not start another."

The three friends left the apartment for the spaceship that would take them to Onderon.

**Hey there, I've finally gotten back to The Enemy Within. I think that Nala Se and Lama Su would know what would happen if Skirata got to them. Just so you know, I am going to feature Tor, Ijaat, and Ruusaan Skirata later. I always wondered why Lux never so much as referenced his father, this is my interpretation. Also, my headcannon is that Lux and his family grew up in Iziz while Steela and Saw are descended from the Beast Riders (if you have questions about them, look them up on Wookiepedia.) As always, read and review.**


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Iziz was a massive city constructed thousands of years before the Clone Wars by the original Onderon settlers in order to protect them from the planet's fauna, and now stretched over five hundred square miles across the planet. Almost 4400 years before the start of the Clone Wars, a Sith Lord named Freedon Nadd made himself king and became the first in a long line of dark side practicing dictators who banished anyone who opposed them into the wilderness to be eaten alive by the beasts. Four hundred years of oppression ended when a group of Jedi, led by Master Arca Jeth, toppled the last Naddist king and queen. The civil war finally ended when Princess Gallia married Prince Oron Kira of the Beast Riders. Ramsis Dendup himself was a distant descendant of the unlikely couple. Unfortunately, there was still some resentment between the modern Beast Riders and the City Dwellers. And while the suspicion of foreigners had largely disappeared over the last several millennia, there were still numerous Onderonians with a deep-seated hatred of all offworlders, especially non-humans. Dendup had made great efforts to smooth relations between Onderonians, both City Dwellers and Beast Riders in addition to Humans and Non-Humans regardless of species.

"Iziz really is beautiful from up here," said Ahsoka, looking out the window of the ship they were on. "It is fortunate that Kalani didn't destroy or loot anything on his way out, like Tambor did on Ryloth."

"I guess that is one thing to be thankful for," muttered Saw before walking out of the cockpit.

Ahsoka frowned. Saw still felt that he had killed his sister.

"Has he talked to anyone?" she asked Lux.

"No," he said. "Tandin has been trying to get him to see a militia psychiatrist but Saw isn't having any of it."

"When he is ready to talk, he will talk," she concluded. She then guided the ship in for a landing. "You know, you can still listen to the message."

Lux paused for a moment to think.

"Alright, I might as well listen to it," he concluded.

After landing the ship, they headed for the palace, where they were greeted by both King Dendup and General Tandin.

"It is nice to see you again, Master Tano," said Dendup. "I didn't know you were coming."

"I am on leave, your highness," she said. "I thought I would help a friend while doing so."

"From what Saw told me over the Holonet, you seemed to think the message from your father was a trick," Tandin said to Lux.

"Ahsoka convinced me I should hear it first," Lux answered.

After going into the throne room, Tandin started playing the message.

"This is Colonel Roland Bonteri of the Confederate Army to my wife Mina," said the hologram. Ahsoka looked closely at the holographic avatar. He was a man in his mid to late forties with dark hair, blue eyes, and light skin who was dressed in nondescript clothing. If the image was accurate, he was roughly the same size as Obi-Wan. "I was not killed on Aargonar by those clones and I didn't die when the base exploded. After being shot by a round that barely missed my heart, I was able to crawl into a cargo container to shield myself from the explosion. I awoke some time later when filthy pirates broke open the crate. They intended to sell me to Karazak slavers but I was able to escape from confinement before that happened. Unfortunately, in the fighting, the ship's controls were damaged and we crashed back on the planet. I was able to scavenge enough material and food to survive until a freighter made an emergency landing on that sandy rock. They were able to repair their ship and they took me along with them to Nar Shaddaa, which is where I am now. After one month of living in this Hutt-infested heap of a planet, I have finally been able to get a private transmitter in order to send this message. I am working at the Rimmer's Rest cantina in the Corellian Sector. This place makes me nostalgic for the time we were stranded on Dxun during our second honeymoon. I can't wait to see you again, Mina."

"Well, that looks and sounds like the Roland Bonteri I know," said Tandin. Tandin had briefly worked with Roland before the Clone Wars. Tandin considered Reinhard to be an obnoxious man with minimal intelligence who espoused views best left forgotten.

"Indeed, General," said Dendup, who also had a low opinion of Roland, who the king suspected had convinced his wife to leave Onderon for Raxus to join the Separatists.

"I'm still unconvinced," Lux said. "Holograms and voices can be faked, and even if my father kept such experiences to himself, it wouldn't have been that hard for Dooku to find out about that crash on Dxun. Sure, it was obscure but hardly a state secret."

"Nar Shaddaa is a strange place for Dooku to try to kidnap you," Ahsoka pointed out. "The Hutt Grand Council hates the Separatists, there are hundreds of ships landing and taking off by the hour in the Corellian Sector alone, just as many deals happening at the same rate, and overall too many factors beyond anyone's control in that place."

"I was thinking the same thing," said Tandin. "If this was a trap for you, it would more likely happen on a neutral planet. Not every Hutt is opposed to business with the Separatists but to do so on in their backyard where anyone else could see is to invite trouble."

"They could have hired any number of other criminals to carry out this trap," Lux pointed out.

"Yes but again, it is unlikely they would do so on the most heavily populated world in Hutt Space, who they would likely be on the bad side of," Ahsoka pointed out. "Yes, it is a good idea to be cautious but it is more likely that this message is real. His explanation for survival is plausible, as is his reason for not contacting anyone until now."

Lux pondered if this really was his father. Dooku was very good at deception but Ahsoka and the others were right that it was likely his father. On the other hand, his father being alive would bring numerous problems in its own right. If he brought his father back to Onderon, the laws of both the planet and the Republic would require that his father be arrested and placed in a POW camp to be interrogated by Republic officers. He also had no idea of how his father would react when he learned that his wife was dead, to say nothing of Lux's defection.

"Alright," Lux said. "I will go to Nar Shaddaa and bring my father home, if that really is him."

"I will come with you," said Ahsoka. "Even if this isn't a trap, Nar Shaddaa isn't a place where you want to go alone."

"Thank you, Ahsoka," he said. "But I'm not sure that is a good idea, given you are a Togruta, and he knows that Shili is part of the Republic."

"I'll say I'm one of the Togrutas who lives in Iziz," she offered. "You can tell me about Onderon trivia he might quiz me with on the ride there."

"I'll come too," said Saw. "I don't have anything better to do."

"I appreciate the offer, Saw," Lux said. "But that will just make him realize something is wrong." Lux was referring to how the Beast Riders were generally pro-Republic even before the Separatist occupation.

"I'll say I'm the odd one out in my family," Saw offered.

"In addition, I don't think you would be able to resist attacking him," Lux explained. "My father is a fanatical Separatist, who most likely would have gone along with Rash's coup, he hates Beast Riders, who he calls Drexl Humpers when he thinks no one is listening."

Tandin nodded at that. When he was in the Royal Militia, Roland had often made rather hateful comments about both aliens and Beast Riders. Tandin eventually fired Roland when he made the mistake of insulting a superior officer for being a Twi'lek. Tandin often wondered why Mina Bonteri put up with an arranged marriage with a man so unpleasant. Then again, she hadn't been very good at choosing which side in the war was trustworthy.

"I am afraid I must agree with Senator Bonteri, Sergeant Gerrera," said the general. "I will not allow you to go on any mission until you receive a proper psychological evaluation by a trained psychiatrist."

"Fine," grunted Saw, who threw up his arms. "I will see this shrink." He then walked out of the room.

"Make sure he goes to the psychiatrist's office," Tandin ordered an aide by his side, who rushed off to do so. Lux and Ahsoka then walked out to get back to their ship.

"Looks like you will have to show me around the planet some other time," she said.

"I'll be sure to do so," Lux said back.

Later, in the Y'Toub system…

Nar Shaddaa was the oversized, completely urbanized moon of Nal Hutta, often called the Vertical City and the Smuggler's Moon. Thousands of years before, when Nal Hutta was called Evocar, the Hutts arrived from their own ruined homeworld of Varl and proceeded to swindle the native Evocci out of their own planet. Most of the Evocci traveled to Nar Shaddaa in order to build a new life, but the Hutts conquered Nar Shaddaa outright and the Evocci sold themselves into slavery to avoid complete extermination. Millennia of oppression, poor living conditions, and no regard for environmental safety had driven the Evocci to the brink of extinction, with the Jedi archives on Coruscant estimating no more than four thousand were still alive in the present. Most of the people on Nar Shaddaa made their living in some form of criminal activity, though because of Hutt laws, there was very little open fighting between rival Hutt families and it was even rarer for a Hutt to actually die as a result. Most Hutts, when conducting business, met outsiders on Nar Shaddaa, only assembling the Grand Council on Nal Hutta itself for matters that affected all of Hutt Space. Nar Shaddaa was divided into numerous city sectors, each named after the various peoples the Hutts brought in to populate them, including the Nikto, Duros, and the most prosperous, the Corellian sector, which was where they were headed now.

Ahsoka looked over the Vertical City as they came in for a landing. One of Anakin's earliest missions was to Nar Shaddaa to help dismantle a massive slaving and spice trafficking operation, led by an infamous T'surr pirate named Krayn, who Anakin killed at the end of the mission. Anakin had described the experience of feeling Nar Shaddaa through the force as a place composed of greed and desperation. Now feeling the planet through the force, she agreed that it felt that way.

"Are you alright?" asked Lux.

"I'm fine," she answered. "Just getting used to Nar Shaddaa's force presence."

He nodded and guided them in for a landing. They landed on a cheap landing pad close to the Rimmer's Rest cantina. After locking down the ship, they proceeded to head for the cantina. When they arrived, they saw that there was smoke billowing out of it. Pulling out their blasters, they walked in and saw the whole place was a mess. The entire bar had been shot up, most tables were shattered or overturned, and the corpses of patrons of various species lie on the floor, with small fires scattered around the building. The bartender walked from behind the counter to approach Lux and Ahsoka.

"Oh, so now there are more people who want to shoot up my bar," he exasperated. "Well, you're too karking late! All of my customers are dead!"

"We aren't here to cause you trouble," said Ahsoka. "We are just looking for this man." She pulled out a hologram of Roland Bonteri.

"You want that waiter as well?" he asked. "Well, you are too karking late. A bunch of crazy clones came in here, a yellow one who loved to yell how much he loved explosions fired a karking grenade at the band." He paused to point to a bloody smear in the corner before continuing. "Then the quiet green clone stabbed one of my customers, while another one who painted fake blood on his armor laughed as he shot anyone trying to get up, and the orange one grabbed my waiter, saying it was nice to see him again. Should have known better than to hire that guy. Then they dragged the guy you're looking for into a ship they had parked outside and took off. And good riddance to all of them!"

"When did this happen?" asked Ahsoka.

"Half an hour ago," the bartender said.

After leaving the cantina, they headed back to their ship.

"The clones that guy described sound a lot like Delta Squad," Ahsoka told Lux. "All commando squads have standing orders to bring any senior Separatist officers back to Coruscant for interrogation."

"Then I guess we know where we are going next," said Lux as they boarded their ship. "Any conversation I have with my father now is going to be even harder."

Ahsoka nodded as she climbed into the pilot's chair and took off for Coruscant.

**I thought I would pull a twist ending. My headcannon is that the Hutt leaders only meet each other and foreigners on Nal Hutta when the matter affects all of Hutt space. Yeah, I had Tandin be Genre Savvy about Saw, which is an example of Reality Ensues in which someone who inadvertently caused the death of a family member clearly needs therapy. I wanted Lux to be reasonably cautious about a trap but I also wanted a scenario where it is believable his dad survived. If any of you have played KOTOR 2, you will know that most of what I said about Onderon is correct (yes, I know Kreia AKA Arren Kae predicted Onderon would lose everything unique about it but she couldn't even sense the thoughts of a Zabrak, so she was clearly full of herself when it came to her powers.) Read and Review.**


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Ahsoka guided them in for a landing on Coruscant. After getting up from her chair, Ahsoka turned to Lux.

"It might be best if I talk to these guys first," said Ahsoka. "I know them personally and I am technically their superior officer. Also, Delta Squad is a little doubtful about your loyalty."

"So are half of the people I meet," Lux said. "Okay, I will wait here until you talk to them."

Ahsoka nodded and walked out of the ship. After arriving at Arca Barracks, she ran into Captain Maze.

"General Tano, I didn't know you were coming," he said. "Is there something you need?"

"I was looking for Delta Squad, I need to talk to them," she replied.

"They just returned from a mission and are now in the east wing," the captain said.

"Thanks," she said as she ran to that section. Upon entering, she saw the squad taking off their armor.

"I wasn't expecting to see you so soon, General Tano," said Boss.

"Neither was I," she said to the Commando leader. "I need to talk to you about your capture of Roland Bonteri."

"How did you know about that?" Sev said. "We just got back from a mission to Siskeen, stopped at Nar Shaddaa for repairs, saw him, and instead of finishing the job, decided to bring him back to Coruscant."

"Protocol requires us to bring Separatist officers back to Coruscant for interrogation, when possible," Fixer pointed out to Sev. "You can get over the fact he survived getting shot."

"I don't like it when I miss," said Sev. "Besides, it's not like it matters if we brought him back. He might as well have been dead for the last two years, no one would know any different."

"Well, Roland had sent a message to his wife which was intercepted by the Onderon government, so you are wrong about that," Ahsoka explained. "I convinced Lux that it might be his father and decided to accompany him to bring Roland back to Onderon."

"You might want to keep that a secret," advised Boss. "It could lead to doubts about your friend's loyalty. I will say I told you personally."

"Thank you for that, Boss," she thanked him. "I will have the recording erased. Where is Roland now?"

"He is being interrogated by Admiral Screed and General Dodonna," said Fixer. Ahsoka was surprised. Terrinald Screed and Jan Dodonna had been working together since they were classmates at Carida and one was never far from the other. After several anti-pirate operations in which Screed's left eye was destroyed, they had vigorously campaigned for the military creation act prior to the start of the war. Screed and Dodonna had been decorated for their heroism at the Battle of Anaxes, in which Dodonna had skillfully held off the numerically superior forces of Admiral Dua Ningo while Screed had plotted a hyperspace jump allowing him to directly in front of Ningo's flagship. Before Ningo had time to react, Screed launched a full-frontal attack with the weapons of his prototype Star Destroyer, the _Victory_, completely obliterating Ningo. Screed had been badly burned as a result of being so close to the explosion. After they had healed from their injuries, the two officers were decorated for their bravery at the Carida academy where they had once studied. Screed had become a Vice Admiral and Dodonna a Brigadier General. They had a reputation for being opposites: Screed was an aggressive commander while Dodonna a more cautious one. Dodonna had once been open to a peace treaty with the Separatists before they had shown their true colors, Screed had wanted to destroy them from the start. Dodonna was more accepting of defectors while Screed regarded them with suspicion. Dodonna was happy to work with the Jedi while Screed saw them, with a few exceptions, as incompetent glory hounds who shouldn't be in command of an army.

"When did this happen?" she asked.

"Just three hours ago, in the lower levels of the barracks," Scorch said. "They have been interrogating him since."

"Thank you. I'll see you guys again some other time," she said to her friends. She walked through the hall and down to the lower levels of the base, eventually stopping outside the interrogation room. She looked inside and saw the two officers inside interrogating Roland. The room was soundproof but from what she could see as well as feel through the force, she was able to determine that Dodonna was trying to reason with the captured colonel while Screed was just threatening Roland. She pressed the button to let them know she was outside and needed to see them. The two officers got up and walked out the door.

"General Tano," saluted Screed. "What brings you to the interrogation of this traitor?"

"Boss from Delta Squad informed me of his capture, knowing I was friends with his son," Ahsoka explained.

"That is good," said Dodonna. "So far we have been unable to reason with him and convince of him of the truth about his wife. Maybe his son will succeed where we failed."

"We haven't failed yet, Jan," Screed pointed out. "We can still enhance our interrogation. I wonder how tough he will be after hitting him with a taser for a few minutes."

"Terrinald- that only applies to terrorists, traitors, and war criminals," said Dodonna.

"Which he is," said Screed. "He is an Onderonian who ran off his homeworld to join the Separatists and was still technically an officer in their army when Onderon sided with the Republic."

"I normally wouldn't have a problem with that," said Ahsoka. "But I think it would be better to let his son try to reason with him."

"I would advise against that, General," said the admiral. "Bonteri will most likely try to convince his son to rejoin the Separatists."

"Lux won't fall for it," Ahsoka said. "He knows that Dooku killed his mother and will stop at nothing to see Dooku pay for what he has done. He also knows Dooku would kill him if he did try to rejoin the Separatists for any reason."

"Come on, Terrinald," said Dodonna. "Roland Bonteri is a nobody who might as well have been dead for the last two years. He can't know anything of value to us."

"He is still an enemy combatant, Jan," Screed pointed out. "We can't just let him go, even if he does believe us about his wife. The only reason his son wasn't arrested is because of political necessity and the fact he has proven his loyalty while fighting against that stooge who declared himself King of Onderon."

"I think it is the best way for us to proceed," said Ahsoka. "Do I need to make it an order?"

"No, General Tano," said Screed. "I was only advising you on how to proceed. If this is what you think is the correct course, I will respect it."

"Are you going to try to go around my back?" she asked him.

"I am not like that vulture, Tarkin," he clarified. "Since you have proven to be a skilled officer who understands war, unlike some other Jedi, I don't have any problem with you taking charge."

"Good to know," she said to the admiral. "As long as you don't try to undermine me, we won't have any problems."

"And as long as you respect me and consider my advice, I won't have any serious problems with you, as well" Screed said back.

"Agreed," she assured him. "Go back inside and tell him that he is going to be visited by his son Lux in a few hours."

"Right away, General," said Screed who walked back inside.

"I'm sorry about that, ma'am," said Dodonna. "Screed has always been a bit of a hothead. He has also refused to be assigned to a Jedi General. He thinks Jedi would steal credit for his victories. He has always felt the need to prove that he is as capable of fighting for the Republic as any Jedi. I have often tried to rein in his recklessness. But even after getting his eye gouged out, he only takes my advice about half the time."

"His recklessness made both of you flag officers, didn't it?" she asked.

"Yes, but he almost died as a result," said Dodonna. "The success of it has only made him more reckless."

"Most of the supposedly reckless plans my master and I came up with have succeeded," Ahsoka pointed out. "Maybe you could be more open-minded about your friend's tactics."

Before Dodonna could say anything, Screed walked out of the room.

"Bonteri is as defiant as ever, refusing to believe his wife is dead and that his son is smarter than him," said Screed. "Feel free to call your boyfriend and tell him that it is time for a reunion."

Ahsoka walked away and activated her comlink, informing Lux that his father had been positively identified and was being held in custody.

Three hours later…

It had taken two hours to get Lux the proper clearance to enter Arca Barracks and another hour to get from the landing pad to the barracks itself. Ahsoka met him at the landing pad.

"Has he been interrogated?" he asked Ahsoka.

"No," she said. "He was briefly questioned but they didn't do so aggressively."

She led him into the lower levels of the base, stopping just outside the interrogation room.

"Welcome, Senator," said Dodonna. "I am sure you have mixed emotions about this, all I can say is that I hope this reunion turns out well for everyone."

"Just remember whose side you're on," added Screed. "I would rather not see a young man, who has seen the evils of the Separatists first hand, forget all that he has learned."

"I'm not stupid, Admiral," Lux said. "I know that I'm not going to be instantly trusted but I haven't forgotten what sort of man Dooku is. If my father refuses to see the truth, fine. He can spend the rest of the war in a POW Camp on Carida until he sees reason."

"How will you prove to him that you are his son?" asked Dodonna.

Lux pulled up his sleeve, showing what appeared to be a blaster wound just below his shoulder.

"When I was nine, I was attacked by a Divik that somehow got in the house," explained Lux. Dodonna was shocked. Diviks were nasty vermin whose eggs were considered a delicacy by Hutts. Adult Diviks could grow to be up to one and a half feet tall, their bite was paralytic, and they preferred to lay their eggs inside the skulls of living creatures. "Before it could bite off my arm, I shot it off with Dad's blaster pistol, which he had left in his bedroom."

"Your father left a functioning weapon in where a nine year old could get to it?" asked Screed, rather shocked himself. "And how did you avoid shooting your own arm off?"

"He had gone out of his way to make sure I knew how blasters work," explained Lux. "The gun in question was a holdout blaster, so the shot wasn't that powerful. Mom wasn't exactly enthusiastic about him teaching me about blasters but he just saw the divik incident as a validation of his belief that I should be familiar with them."

Lux then walked into the interrogation room, with Ahsoka and the two officers observing from behind opaque transparisteal.

"What sort of trick is this?!" shouted Roland, sitting behind the table. "You think that by disguising yourself as my son I will believe you? I won't, you filthy test-tube soldier!"

"Dad, it's really me," said Lux, rolling up his sleeve to show the blaster burn. "Your holdout blaster was hidden inside the hole of your mattress."

"No, you don't fool me!" the captured colonel shouted out. "This is just a trick."

"I shot my arm to kill a divik biting it," Lux continued. "You taught me how to use a blaster despite Mom's protests, and secretly told me where you kept your backup blaster for emergencies. I pulled the trigger just before falling down helpless from paralytic toxin."

At that moment, Roland lunged forward and grabbed Lux, slamming Lux headfirst into the table. Ahsoka smashed through the glass and used telekinesis to send Roland flying back.

"What witchcraft did you use to create this abomination, Jedi!?" shouted Roland. "How did you make my son tell you about the Diviks?! You torture him so you could tell your puppet clone what to do?! What did you do to him afterward?!"

Ahsoka tossed the crazed Separatist against the wall and kept him pinned.

"Admiral, how is Lux?" she asked Screed.

"He is conscious but I think he should be checked out by a medic," said the Admiral. "Senator, don't move, you might have suffered a concussion."

"Alright, Admiral," said Lux, who then looked at his father. "I wasn't sure if I should meet you at all, and I am disappointed my misgivings were correct. But you need to listen to me. Everything they have told you about me, Mom, Dooku, and Onderon is true. If you don't reject the Separatist cause, you will spend an indefinite amount of time detained for an organization that has done nothing but hurt you and your family."

"You don't fool me, you filthy clone!" Roland shouted. "The Confederacy will triumph, and you will-"he shouted before Ahsoka brandished her lightsaber in front of him.

"I don't want to hear anything more from you!" she threatened, before turning to the two officers and the Clones who Screed had summoned. "Dodonna, Screed, help the Senator to the medbay. Captain Maze, take this nutcase to solitary confinement, and then make arrangements for him to receive a psychological evaluation." The two officer nodded and helped Lux out of the room while Maze and the two troopers accompanying him dragged Roland, struggling the entire time, out of the room. Ahsoka then walked out to check on Lux.

**Hardly the sort of reunion Lux was hoping for. Instead of Tarkin, who would be a generic asshole, I thought that I would introduce Admiral Screed, a character that, for some reason, I can't help but like, who is still canon. Just like in Legends, he is working alongside Jan Dodonna, who laid out the attack plan for the first Death Star. I envision the two officers as Screed being the Red Oni and Dodonna being the Blue Oni. Screed thinks most Jedi are incompetent idiots who only win on account of being overpowered and that opinion isn't helped by how his own efforts are often ignored in favor of the Jedi. Dodonna just wants to help serve the Republic and isn't really bothered by it. Screed doesn't have as much problems with Jedi like Anakin and Ahsoka, as they are capable officers in their own right.**


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

At the Medbay of Arca Barracks, the clone medics examined Lux to see the extent of his head trauma.

"Well, you haven't suffered a hematoma," the medical officer said to Lux. "You should still take it easy for a while, though."

"Thank you," Lux said to the medic. He then got up and out of the room, walking over to Ahsoka. "I'm sorry that things didn't work out here, today. I should have just shown you around Onderon and not bothered with the message at all."

"I'm sorry that I convinced you to see him," said Ahsoka. "I take it you won't be visiting your father again?"

"No, I won't," said Lux. "If my dad wants to be stuck in some prison camp for the next two years, let him."

Ahsoka nodded. Roland had turned out to be a very unpleasant man whom she had no intention of meeting again, even in the unlikely event that he believed the truth about his wife. Just then, Sev walked into the room.

"General Tano, I have just received a report about Narrisa Dansitius," the sniper told her. "It is waiting in the briefing room." Ahsoka looked at Lux.

"Go on," he said. "I will be able to show you around Onderon another time."

"Thank you," she said to her friend. "Before I go, I want to do this first." Then she kissed him. Lux was surprised at first, but he ended up responding to her in kind. "I have been waiting for the right time to do that," Ahsoka smiled. "I just couldn't wait anymore."

"Neither could I," he said back, smiling. "I want to spend some time with you after you get back."

"I would like that," Ahsoka told Lux. "I'm holding you to that promise." She then followed Sev out of the room toward the briefing chamber. "I trust you will keep that a secret?" asked Ahsoka.

"Of course, General," said the commando. Sev had no interest in the private lives of Jedi and Ahsoka had already made her opinion about the Jedi stance against personal relationships clear.

After arriving in the briefing room, Ahsoka looked around the room, seeing Captain Maze, Master Zey, and the other members of Delta Squad.

"Nice to see you again, General Tano," said Zey. "How is your friend doing?"

"He's alright," Ahsoka answered. "He's not going to be visiting his dad anytime soon."

"Good for him," said Maze. "We have just received a report of a ship matching the description of the vessel that Dansitius used to flee from Kohlma." He pulled up an image of the Sith Infiltrator, confirmed to fit the profile of a ship taking off from Naboo shortly after Darth Maul was supposedly killed. "It was spotted in the Horuset system."

Ahsoka's eyes perked up at that revelation. The Horuset system was where the ancient Sith homeworld, Korriban, was. It was said the ghosts of ancient Sith Lords still resided on the planet inside their tombs, offering dark side knowledge to anyone who came looking for it. It would make sense that Narrisa would go there.

"Delta Squad here has volunteered to accompany you, but they are all that is available," said Zey. "Omega and the Nulls are on assignment and Skirata is out of contact. I was going to contact Master Skywalker but it seems he has left Coruscant."

"Don't try to find him," said Ahsoka, who didn't want to impose herself on her former master. "He deserves his rest and Narrisa is my problem."

"Even so, I don't think it is a good idea for you to go to Korriban alone," said Zey. "That planet is strong with the dark side and there are many dangers even without Dansitius. You cannot go there without another Jedi."

"You can't come, Master Zey, you are needed here," Ahsoka pointed out. "And there are no other Jedi Masters, at present, who can come."

"I am willing to accompany you," said a familiar voice in the doorway. Ahsoka turned around to see her old friend, Barriss Offee, in the doorway.

"I didn't know you were back on your feet, Barriss," she said.

"I completed my recovery three days ago," the Mirialan said. "Master Luminara was called away, to her displeasure, so I am volunteering on my own power."

"As I cannot offer any better alternatives, I will authorize this," said Zey. "I wish you luck on your search."

"Thank you," said Ahsoka. The two young Jedi left with the commando squad for an unregistered ship they would take to Korriban. They boarded the ship and took off. After making the jump to hyperspace, Ahsoka turned to look at Barriss.

"I'm sorry that I wasn't able to check on you after my promotion," Ahsoka said.

"That's alright, I understand," replied Barriss. "It has been hard recovering from the torture but Luminara has been with me every step of the way."

"That is good to know," Ahsoka said. "I guess that Luminara has opened up."

"She told me that when she thought I had turned to the dark side, she instantly regretted not making it clear she thought of me as her daughter," said Barriss. "It was comforting to hear that. It helped inspire me to get out of that physical therapy facility faster. She didn't want to go back to Ansion without me but I told her to go and do her duty."

Ahsoka smiled at how well her friend was doing. Then she remembered the circumstances behind the discovery of the Mirialan's innocence.

"Do you remember much about what Narrisa did to you?" asked Ahsoka.

"I remember you freeing me from that room," Barriss said. "At the time it felt as if my head was about to explode. One of the reasons I decided to help you on this mission was to ensure that Narrisa wouldn't be able to do it to anyone else."

Ahsoka then hugged her friend. "I'm sorry you had to be caught up in this feud between Narrisa and I," Ahsoka said. "I am grateful however, you are helping me end it."

"I will always help such a good friend like you," said Barriss, who then pulled out a holodisk. "You guys are Delta Squad, right?"

"Yes, Commander Offee," answered Boss.

"It is nice to meet you as well," Barriss replied. "This disk contains information regarding Korriban and its dangers. Since it is a long ride to Horuset, I figured we could pass the time by looking at what is on here."

The four commandos nodded and sat down as Barriss inserted the disk into the holoterminal. Ahsoka briefly went to the cockpit to plot the coordinates for the ancient Sith homeworld, sending the ship into hyperspace. She returned just in time to see the film starting, sitting down next to Fixer.

"Korriban is the homeworld of the original Sith species," a male narrator said, a picture of a red-skinned humanoid appearing. "After the presumed extinction of the original Sith people, the planet was largely abandoned. The entire planet is covered in many ancient Sith temples and buildings, often buried underground. The greatest of the sites, however, is the Valley of the Dark Lords." The recording then showed an aerial view of the site. "The tombs of many ancient Sith rulers are located in this valley, as well as numerous Sith academies," the narrator continued. "These sites are said to be strong with the Dark Side of the Force. The native animals are said to have been mutated over thousands of years from exposure to the dark side. These animals include the Tukata, found all across the valley, especially in the tombs, leading to some scholars believing they were deliberately created to guard the tombs." A hologram of a black animal appeared. It was the same size as a Kath Hound, with red eyes, and instead of a mane, there were spikes coming out of its back. "Another such creature is the Shyrack, always found in dark places," the Narrator continued, showing a giant bat-like creature with a mouth with three rows of teeth, but no eyes, and a body the size of a Super Battle Droid's torso, with a six foot wingspan. "Another such creature is the Klorslug," the video continued. The Klorslug was a gigantic worm-like creature, eight feet tall, walking on five legs, and possessing three heads, each with five rows of teeth. "The rarest and most dangerous creature on Korriban, however, is the Terrentatak," the narrator continued. The Terrentatak was an eight foot tall monster that weighed over five hundred pounds. It had brown scales all over its body, three rows of teeth in its giant mouth, arms of tremendous length, huge claws on its fingers, and spikes jutting out all over its body. "Each of the claws and defensive spikes have a paralytic toxin that takes effect in two minutes," said the narrator. "Found on other planets including Kashyyyk, it is commonly believed that the Terrentatak was created by ancient Sith Alchemists for the purpose of killing Jedi."

"You know, just for once, I wish the badguys could hide on a planet that doesn't scream evil," said Scorch. "Why is it that every planet they go to is full of monsters?"

"I would be more concerned about where we should look," pointed out Fixer. "While she will definitely be hiding in the valley, which tomb should we start in? That isn't even taking into account the various caves or the Sith school."

"It looks like we will have to search all of them, then," said Ahsoka. "Now, we should get some rest. It is a long way to Korriban."

**This is just a short interim chapter. I thought I would bring in Barriss for this adventure and, since I haven't featured Narrisa for a while, bring her back as well. I also wanted to indicate that Luminara really does care about Barriss, despite her occasionally stupid behavior. Also, I see Ahsoka and Barriss as Heterosexual Life Partners, to quote TvTropes. I never saw any evidence to indicate that either of them were lesbian or bisexual or were anything more than very good friends.**


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

When the ship came out of hyperspace, Ahsoka and her friends were in the cockpit. Korriban was a reddish-brown planet that was the second-closest to the star Horuset. Anakin had told her of the time he and Obi-Wan went to the ancient Sith homeworld searching for the infamous terrorist Granta Omega. He had told her of the many dangers they had encountered and what it felt like through the Force. He had described it as feeling like the darkness was threatening to engulf him and that he would never get out. He also talked about how he sometimes saw things that weren't there as well as hearing voices. Ahsoka hadn't even landed on the planet and she could already feel the Dark Side's presence.

"So this is the Sith homeworld," said Barriss. "Even in orbit it is creepy."

"That it is," agreed Ahsoka. She guided the ship into the atmosphere. She set course for the ancient spaceport of Dreshdae. Dreshdae was built almost four thousand years ago by Czerka Corporation, a previous iteration of Czerka Arms, which had changed its name to avoid association with many of the unethical policies it had practiced, such as enslaving Wookies. Even four thousand years later, Czerka was banned from doing business on Kashyyyk because of the slave trading operations they started there. Czerka was now in league with the Separatists, showing they haven't changed at all during the last several thousand years. Dreshdae, like the rest of the planet, had now been abandoned. Fortunately, the landing pads were still functional. Upon setting down, the two Jedi and four clones exited the ship.

"Even if Dansitius is in this Valley of the Dark Lords, it is still a massive amount of area to search," Fixer pointed out. "Where do we start looking, General?"

"Narrisa came here for a reason," said Ahsoka. "That reason is most likely in one of the tombs in that necropolis. We shall start in the larger tombs first. Everyone, stick together, Korriban has many dangers."

"Yeah, I remember the documentary," said Scorch. "I have no interest in getting eaten by a giant worm monster."

As they progressed through the ruined spaceport, they encountered a K'lor'slug.

"You just had to mention the most disgusting thing on this planet, didn't you?" Sev said to Scorch. There were ten eggs around it that started hatching. From each egg sprouted a larva about one tenth the size of the adult. The adult started spitting a venom at them which could cause blindness. The clone's armor protected them from the venom while Ahsoka and Barriss were able to dodge the poison. Each of the larva charged at them, hissing and snarling. Barriss beheaded three, while Ahsoka sliced several more. One of the creatures tried to bite into Boss's arm but his gauntlet prevented that, allowing the Commando leader to shoot the vermin with his rifle. Scorch blasted the remaining five with his grenade launcher, blowing them to pieces. Ahsoka rushed forward and sliced the adult K'lor'slug apart with her two lightsabers.

"Well, that was not as dangerous as we were led to believe," concluded Fixer. "I guess they aren't as bad if we are together."

"It was still creepy!" shouted Boss. "I'm getting uncomfortable flashbacks to the time we walked into a Geonosian Egg Chamber and those baby bugs tried to eat us alive."

"Those things never posed a serious danger, Boss," said Sev. "Even with two dozen of them, we cleansed that chamber in two minutes."

"Why didn't we just land in the Valley itself?" asked Scorch. "It would be faster than walking."

"I am not sitting our ship in a valley full of crumbling statues and pyramids that might fall down for the slightest of reasons," explained Ahsoka.

The team continued through the ruined spaceport and into the valley, past the remains of an ancient Sith Academy, which had been destroyed and rebuilt countless times over the millennia. The Korriban academy was considered the most prestigious and dangerous of all the Sith Academies in the old Sith Empires. Upon entering the valley, the team saw the full magnificence of it. Giant statues of hooded figures, five stories high, were placed at twenty meter intervals, guarding the entrance to each tomb. Four tombs were visible from the entrance. Ahsoka, Barriss, and Delta Squad had studied each of the known tombs in the valley, unfortunately the information the Jedi Archives had on the tombs layout was considered outdated by Madame Jocasta, the librarian. The first one to the right was the Tomb of Ajunta Pall, one of the original exiled Jedi who came to Korriban and made himself king of the primitive Sith species, with fellow Dark Jedi and lover XoXaan as his queen. Pall was said to have been redeemed back to the Light Side, as a Force Ghost, thousands of years after his physical death by fellow redeemed Sith Lord Darth Revan. The tomb to the far right belonged to a subsequent Dark Lord, Tulak Hord, nicknamed the Master of Gathering Darkness. Most of what was known about him came from his indentured Dashade Shadow Assassin named Khem Val, who later went on to serve another powerful Sith Lord called Darth Imperious. The first tomb on the left side was that of Marka Ragnos, the final result of thousands of years of hybridization between the Sith race and their Dark Jedi conquerors. Ragnos ruled for over a century during what was called the Golden Age of the Sith, until finally dying of old age. It was rumored Ragnos's spirit survived even into the present, where he does everything in his power to lure new Force-Sensitives to the Dark Side.

The final tomb was that of Naga Sadow, Ragnos's successor. Shortly after Ragnos's funeral, a pair of twin hyperspace explorers arrived on Korriban. Sadow used their arrival to trick most of the other prominent Sith Lords to support his bid for power, by claiming they were scouts for a Republic invasion, and he was the only one capable of defeating them. After achieving his intent to become Dark Lord, Sadow hastily drummed up an invasion force with the intent of conquering Republic space. His poorly thought out plan and invasion predictably backfired and the initial attack lost its momentum when Sadow's force illusions were interrupted. The Jedi and the Republic quickly recovered, and the bulk of Sadow's forces were destroyed, either by the Republic or by a brief conflict with Sith Lords unhappy with his disastrous leadership. In accounts only recently released on Yoda's order, it was revealed that the victorious Republic and Jedi had gone out of their way to exterminate all citizens of what became known as the First Sith Empire. Many Sith Lords and their subjects fled into uncharted space to rebuild their civilization, convinced that all the horrible things they had heard about the Republic and Jedi were true.

Sadow himself, however, was never buried inside the magnificent tomb standing before the two modern Jedi and Delta Squad. He crashed his last remaining battleship on the jungle world of Yavin, living out the rest of his life stranded there with his crew of Massassi, a caste of the Sith race who were deliberately mutated by the Dark Side to be fanatically loyal elite soldiers for their Sith masters. The Massassi went on to build many temples for their master even after his death. The Massassi still lived on Yavin, in a rather primitive society, worshipping the Dark Lords of their ancestors, who they now believed were gods. Ironically, all that Sadow had managed to accomplish during his two month tenure as the Dark Lord, was ensure the survival of a Sith caste that Sadow regarded as nothing but slaves to his agenda of galactic domination.

"Well, which of the creepy tombs should we look in first?" asked Scorch.

"That is a good question, Scorch," said Barriss. "The residual dark side energy is making it difficult to sense anything going on in any of them."

"Does the Dark Side fool conventional sensors?" asked Fixer.

"No, it doesn't Fixer," confirmed Barriss. "But it would still take a minimum of two hours for a probe droid to scan a single tomb, assuming it isn't destroyed by one of the animals inside there. We don't even have any probe droids with us."

Ahsoka thought to herself, trying to decide what to do next. Then she heard a voice. She couldn't understand what the voice was saying but the voice was definitely that of Narrisa.

"Barriss, I can hear Narrisa," Ahsoka said. "She's in the Tomb at the far left."

"I didn't hear anything, Ahsoka," said Barriss. "The Dark Side is probably playing tricks on you."

"Or maybe Ahsoka only heard it because of that echolocation all Togrutas possess," pointed out Boss. "It is the first lead we have regardless, so it would be best to check it out."

"Relax Barriss, if it is a trick by the ghost of Naga Sadow, who has finally found a way home after five thousand years away from Korriban, I can handle it," said Ahsoka.

"Ahsoka, if we do find Sadow's ghost in there, we will be facing an ancient Sith Sorcerer in a place where the Dark Side has strength," Barriss said.

"I have survived scenarios far more frightening than that," Ahsoka boasted. "I can handle whatever a failed Sith Lord who died almost five thousand years ago can throw at us."

"One day you will have to tell us about some of those scenarios," said Scorch. "Of course, we will more likely encounter Dansitius than any ghosts."

They walked up to the tomb of the last Dark Lord of the First Sith Empire. Ahsoka pushed the doors open with the Force and the team entered. Ahsoka and Barriss activated their lightsabers while Delta Squad turned on their night vision.

"We really need to change the night vision filter," said Scorch. "Black and white doesn't allow for much detail and it makes things even creepier."

"This place is creepy regardless," said Ahsoka. Barriss looked around the tomb and she had to agree. On both of the walls, there were a pair of stone columns which had the faces of the ancient Sith race carved into them. In front of them was a massive staircase blocked off by debris, restricting their search options to go to either the left or the right. The floor was covered with dust which was likely all that remained of an entire Sith village which had been sealed inside during the genocide committed by the ancient Republic. The scratch marks on the wall and near the doors indicated that these people had tried and failed to get out. The smell of death permeated the tomb. Sensing the area through the force, the feelings of anguish and terror resonated through these walls, feeling as if the walls of her mind would come crumbling down along with the tomb. Ahsoka and Barriss wisely decided not to use the Force to sense things in this place.

"Which direction should we go, General?" Boss asked Ahsoka.

"To the left," she decided. The team headed to the left, walking down a staircase. Suddenly, they all smelled something very foul. Looking down, they saw a river of acid flowing past them at an astonishing rate.

"Really?" asked Scorch incredulously. "I was hoping the part about the acid river in Revan's biography was mistranslated or something."

"I was just hoping it was part of that Sith test Revan was forced to partake in," said Fixer. "Well, since we don't have any overpowered ice grenades, I think we should try the other path."

Just then, Scorch started screaming and flailing. A Shyrack had attached itself to his head and was biting at him. He pulled it off, tossed it to the ground, and shot it repeatedly.

"Dammit, it's like those Scavenger droids on the _Prosecutor_, only these come without warning," the Commando said. "Well, I'm not getting my head ripped off by another one of those monsters!"

"Alright, everyone keep a watch for Shyracks," said Ahsoka. "They hide in the shadows. Also, we don't know how stable this tomb is or where this acid might be flowing from. No explosives, no matter what happens."

Everyone nodded (though Scorch grumbled about not being able to have any fun with explosions) and kept a lookout on the corners of the hallways they were going through. As they proceeded on to the right passageway, they all kept there guard up and shined light wherever they could inside the ancient complex. Eventually, they entered a massive chamber inside the bowls of the tomb. There were several walkways throughout the giant room, each leading to an elevated level. None of the walkways had walls or safety railings, clearly Sadow hadn't cared how many people would die building this place. Looking down, it was only a fifty foot drop but it wouldn't matter as it was part of the acid river. Just then, Ahsoka's heightened sense of hearing picked up what sounded like snarling.

"Wait," she said, bringing everyone to a stop. "I think I hear something headed our way. It is coming in from behind!"

Sev instantly broke out the sniper attachment to his rifle. Zooming in with the scope, he iniatially didn't see anything. Then, he saw over a dozen pairs of glowing red eyes. Going by their shapes, the creatures seemed to have spikes coming out of their backs, confirming they were Tukata.

"Sith Hounds!" shouted the sniper as he fired his rifle at the lead Tukata, blowing its right leg off. "And a whole pack of them!"

Each of the Commandos raised their rifles, crouched down, and started firing their weapons. Barriss pulled out her lightsaber and ignited it while Ahsoka readied herself. There were a total of two dozen Tukata in a pack and they were all immune to telepathy. The monsters all came rushing at them, with no sign of stopping, or sense of self-preservation. The snarling and raging animals seemed like they were on a mission to kill the intruders. Even the one who Sev had maimed was still rushing towards them, albeit at a slower rate than before. Soon, the monsters had made the charge to them and started clawing or biting at the clones. Thankfully, Ahsoka and Barriss used their lightsabers to slice through any of the creatures that had made it to the clones. The one that Sev had maimed jumped on Boss but the Commando leader wrestled his way on top of it and stabbed the monster in the back of the neck, causing it to yelp before dying. Another had jumped on top of Scorch, who evaded the rapidly biting jaws and tossed it off the walkway into the abyss, where it would dissolve in the acid. Ahsoka beheaded another, while Barriss sliced one in half down the middle as it jumped at her. Fixer evaded one that lunged at him and shot it thrice as it landed. After two minutes, which seemed like an hour, all of the Tukata were dead.

"I am never going back to this planet again," declared Scorch.

"Bravo, Ahsoka!" said a mocking voice in the dark that the young Togruta knew all too well. "You have defeated my pets. It turns out that the Tukata are called Sith Hounds for a reason. The only way to control them is to speak the ancient Sith language. My master, after my success on Kohlma, has been teaching me the archaic dialect, along with other useful things about the Dark Side."

"Success?" asked Sev incredulously. "Sergeant Vau told me all about how you ran away as soon as things were getting tough and how you blew up your own drug factory."

"I had already found a way to synthesize the Bando Gora neurotoxin," proclaimed Narrisa from the shadows. "I didn't need that crumbling temple anymore. Anyway, I came here to learn new secrets of the Dark Side and to bask in its power."

"Well why don't you show us some of your power, then?" Barriss challenged. "Don't you want to demonstrate how great you are compared to us?"

There wasn't a response for several moments. Then, a piece of the ceiling fell and destroyed the walkway Ahsoka was on, forcing her to leap to higher ground to avoid falling into the acid. Ahsoka was now at an elevated position, fifty feet above the platform the others were standing on. Narrisa then revealed herself in front of Ahsoka.

"I am happy to show you how powerful I am, Ahsoka," said Narrisa, whose face still looked like that of Barriss with the addition of several red tattoos and she had changed back to her original, creepy voice. "I am not interested in your friends at all. Don't worry, I have sent another pet to keep them company."

Down below, where Barriss and Delta Squad were, trying to figure a way to get up to Ahsoka, they heard rumbling from below. Just then, the floor opened up and an ancient lift rose in its place. On it was the most feared of all animals native to Korriban: the dreaded Terentatek. The clones opened fire with their blasters but the monster's armored hide repelled the attacks. It only snarled and charged at them. Sev was knocked back by a swipe from the creature's right arm but Scorch was able to catch his brother Commando before he fell into the acid. Barriss slashed at the Terentatek but it only gave mild burns to the monster's skin. It bared its teeth at the young Mirialan.

"It's armor is too thick!" she shouted.

"Then I'll crack it!" shouted Scorch, who loaded his Grenade Launcher.

"No!" shouted Boss. "Don't you remember General Tano's warning about the integrity of this structure?"

"I'll shoot it in the mouth!" shouted Scorch, who then fired the grenade at the monster. Just before it impacted the Terentatek, the creature swatted it away, causing the explosive to fly off to the side and smash into a wall on the other side of the chamber.

"Never mind," said the explosives expert. "Any good ideas, Commander?"

"All of you equip your grenade attachments!" she shouted as she dodged the monster's claws.

"But Ma'am, General Tano said-"Fixer started to say before she interrupted them.

"Just do it!" shouted Barriss as she swiped at the Terentatek's back, again aggravating it. The Terentatek was now focusing on Barriss, either because she was a Jedi or because she had angered it. Either way, the monster was now open to an attack from behind.

"Shoot it in the back!" she shouted. All four Commandos complied and fired their grenades at the monster. Each grenade blew off a large chunk of the armored back of the creature, causing the monster to growl in pain and turn around quickly. There were also visible clouds of gas leaking out of the wound. The documentary on Korriban fauna said that when a Terentatek's skin was broken, poisonous gases from the digestive tract would leak out of the creature, causing disorientation or death to anyone nearby depending on how much was breathed in. Even with the armor and helmets, Delta Squad would want to keep away, as the corrosive element of the gas might penetrate the protective seal. Barriss would not have to worry as much, because of her training at how to hold her breath with assistance from the Force, though it would still be wise to keep her distance when possible in order to avoid getting burned by the chemicals. The monster roared and charged at them. Each of the Commandos ran to the sides to avoid being impaled on the creature's claws. Barriss used the Force to summon a grenade to her hands. She rushed up to the monster from behind while holding her breath, activated the grenade, and planted it in the monster's back. She then jumped out of the way of the creature's retaliatory swipe. Then, the grenade exploded, blowing out the monster's chest. The Terentatek stumbled forward and fell to the floor, dissolving into a puddle of goo, a few bones, and a cloud of gas.

"And the Terentateks also melt?" Scorch asked in disbelief. "I know the Force is magic and all, but why did that thing simply disintegrate upon death?"

"Maybe those Sith Lords who created them hoped that any Jedi who succeeded in killing them would still die because of all that digestive acid," hypothesized Sev. "I don't really care, as long as it dies and doesn't take us with it."

"Cut the chatter, you two," said Fixer. "Right now we need to find a way to help General Tano. Any orders, Commander Offee?"

"Do any of you have grappling equipment?" she asked.

"Yes Ma'am," affirmed the clones, who clipped the newly issued grappling attachment to their DC-17s.

Earlier, with Ahsoka…

"After the Terentatek eats your friends, I will feed what is left of you to him," Narrisa said to Ahsoka.

"Barriss and Delta Squad can handle anything you throw at them," Ahsoka retorted, "and I will handle you myself."

Ahsoka then swung her lightsaber at Narrisa's neck. Narrisa blocked it but Ahsoka swiped at the Zeltron's legs. Narrisa jumped out of the way before her legs were cut off. She slashed back at Ahsoka, who blocked the powerful strike with both of her lightsabers. Ahsoka kicked Narrisa in the chest, forcing the Sith Acolyte backward. Ahsoka then pressed the offensive, but Narrisa surprised her with Force lightning. Narrisa then telekinetically threw a loose stone column at Ahsoka, but she was able to jump out of the way. Ahsoka grabbed a loose brick in another pillar and tossed it at Narrisa. Narrisa sliced the brick with her lightsaber but was then slashed by Ahsoka, severing two of her fingers on her left hand. Narrisa cried out in pain but continued to fight. Shortly thereafter, they heard then a loud bang, then three more such sounds. Looking over, the two hated rivals saw that Delta Squad had deployed grappling pitons into one of the walkway supports.

"How foolish of your friends," stated Narrisa, who pulled out an explosive charge, activated it, and dropped it into the abyss. "You and your friends will now melt."

The Zeltron then pressed a button on her wristcom, causing a different charge in the ceiling to explode, creating an opening which she then leaped out of with the Force's assistance. Almost immediately after Narrisa got out, the charge she had dropped detonated. The blast was massive, causing the pillar supporting the walkway to fall. Just before falling to her doom, Ahsoka jumped over to the platform where Barriss and Delta Squad were. Before she could say anything, the other platform started to crumble. The Jedi and clones ran back the way they came to avoid falling to their doom. Unfortunately, the acidic river spilled into the other areas of the tomb, forcing them to rush out of the ancient complex to avoid being engulfed in it. They were about to reach the exit when they saw that the door was closed. Not having enough time to open it, Scorch blew the door to pieces with his beloved Grenade Launcher. Rushing out of the now flooded tomb, they jumped to the sides of the entrance to avoid being covered in the ongoing acid river, which dissolved both statues in front of the tomb. Unfortunately, Fixer had tripped before being able to jump to the left with Barriss and Boss. Fixer was able to roll to the side to avoid being covered by the river, but his right shoulder and arm was splashed with the acid. The Commando tech expert screamed in pain as his armor started to melt into his arm. Boss held him down while Barriss, recognizing he would die without intervention, activated her lightsaber to amputate the arm, knowing that the sooner it happened, the better.

"_Get back to the ship!" Barriss telepathically communicated to Ahsoka. "Get it back here with the medkit and as soon as we are aboard, takeoff for the nearest Republic base or medstation! I will do what I can for Fixer now."_

Ahsoka understood the urgency of the situation, using the force to sprint back to the ship at a faster pace. When she got back to Dreshdae, she entered the ship and did an emergency liftoff with no safety checks and flew straight back to the Valley, knowing that Fixer needed a Bacta Tank as soon as possible. Hovering in front of Scorch and Sev, she opened the door, allowing them to jump in. Coming around to the other side of the acidic flow, she did the same for Barriss and Boss, who carried Fixer onto the ship. He had already passed out from the pain. As soon as they were aboard, Ahsoka flew out of the atmosphere and set course for the Republic stronghold of Eriadu.

**This is the longest chapter I have written to date, over four thousand words. I hope you all enjoyed it. For the record, I based Korriban off its depiction in the KOTOR Games.**


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Eriadu was an influential, Republic-aligned planet in the Outer Rim. It was the capital of the Seswenna sector, intersection of the Hydian Way and the Rimma Trade Route hyperspace lanes. The planet had long championed the cause of Republic Militarism and had even assembled its own prototype militia, the Outland Regions Security Force (ORSF), over twenty years before the Clone Wars. The ORSF later rose to fame during the Stark Hyperspace War, a conflict with a pirate organization hijacking bacta supplies. Plo Koon had told Ahsoka, and many other initiates, of the adventures he had on Troiken with the militia. Now the ORSF worked alongside the clones to keep the Republic stronghold secure. Eriadu itself was initially an insignificant Outer Rim world until five wealthy families, called the Quintad, came there from the Core World of Corulag nine hundred years before the Clone Wars. Determined to transform the planet into an industrial powerhouse, capable of saying it was on par with the Core Worlds, the Quintad started to aggressively expand the cities and factories on the planet. While Eriadu had prospered economically, the extensive pollution left from the government's programs had affected much of the planet. As a result, most inhabitants in the cities wore protective masks when outside. Those who could not afford such protection often died in their early fifties. Another thing Ahsoka knew she wouldn't like about the planet was that Humanocentricism was very common there. In addition, the leading family of the Quintad was the Tarkins, with the Admiral himself serving as military governor for the sector. The last thing she wanted to do was go to the place where the man who tried to execute her lived. Unfortunately, Eriadu was the closest Republic base and Fixer needed proper medical attention as soon as possible.

"This is Sergeant RC-1138, leader of Delta Squad," Boss transmitted to Eriadu Command. "One of our men has been severely injured and requires medical attention immediately!"

"Understood, Delta Squad," said a voice with a faux-Core accent. "Permission to land at Seswenna City hospital granted. Governor-Admiral Tarkin will be waiting on the landing pad."

"Understood, Delta out," said Boss as the transmission ended.

"Of all the people who could debrief us, why did it have to be Tarkin?" asked Barriss. Barriss hated Tarkin almost as much as Ahsoka. Tarkin had previously tried to have Barriss imprisoned on suspicion of being an enemy agent despite evidence exonerating her.

"We will deal with Tarkin if he causes us any trouble," said Ahsoka. "In the words of Kal Skirata, that Di'Kut will regret it if he tries anything." Ahsoka then set course for the hospital they had been directed to. Flying the shuttle through the atmosphere, she arrived at the medical center. Just as promised, in addition to a medical team waiting for them, there was also Governor-Admiral Wilhuff Tarkin. Lowering the ramp, the three uninjured Commandos helped their brother onto the stretcher and accompanied the doctors into the emergency room. Before Tarkin could say anything, Ahsoka and Barriss walked out.

"I wasn't expecting to see you here, General Tano," said Tarkin. "I also wasn't aware you had recovered, Padawan Offee."

"I just did," the Mirialan said rather aggressively. "I have been treating Fixer up until this point. I need to be at his side."

"How commendable of you," Tarkin said in a haughty tone. "Unfortunately, you will need to answer several questions before doing that."

"I will be doing that, Admiral," interjected Ahsoka. "You won't stop Barriss from doing her job. If you try, you will regret it."

"No need for threats, General," said the obnoxious admiral. "If you are willing to answer my questions, I will oblige you."

Barriss ran into the hospital to reunite with Delta Squad. Tarkin turned around and walked inside the facility, entering an office. Ahsoka followed the Admiral into the room. Tarkin then sat down and activated a recorder.

"This is Admiral Wilhuff Tarkin, Governor of the Seswenna Sector, interviewing Jedi General Ahsoka Tano about the circumstances surrounding the injury of Clone Commando RC-1140," said the Eriaduan officer into the recorder.

"We had received a report of the Separatist terrorist, Narrisa Dansitius, in the Horuset system," started Ahsoka. She knew this would take a while, so she should get to it.

After an hour of recounting what had happened, she stopped. Tarkin had not spoken at all, only listened intently. Then, he asked his first question.

"Why did you not call for backup as soon as you verified Dansitius was on the planet?" he questioned.

"We were underground," responded Ahsoka. "We could not have sent a transmission."

"Why did you not have your ship closer to the tomb?" he persisted.

"The statues around it were unstable," Ahsoka clarified, rather annoyed by the continued prodding. She had figured Tarkin would try to spin this incident to make her look unfit for command.

"Why didn't you leave someone with your landing craft?" he asked.

"It was secure and I needed everyone available to search the tombs," she answered. "The only way the Terentatek was destroyed was through the combined efforts of Commander Offee and Delta Squad. I doubt any of them would have lived otherwise."

Tarkin again ignored her assertions. He then asked why she was unable to capture Narrisa.

"Because I focused on saving the rest of my team, rather than pursuing Dansitius," she retorted. She then used the force to turn off the recorder.

"What is your problem with me, Admiral?" she asked. "Have I done something to anger you? Did I inadvertently cause the death of a family member? Do you just hate having to accept an alien as an officer?"

"I have learned all I have to know to make my report," Tarkin said. "In answer to your question, no, you haven't caused the death of anyone I care about. And no, I am not a stereotypical Eriaduan who hates nonhumans. My secretary, Tol Sivron, is a Twi'lek, and I have given him the duty of rationing supplies for this planet. If I seemed rude to you during our first meeting, it was because I was skeptical of your abilities as an officer. I also didn't appreciate you refusing to share the information with the Chancellor when we arrived back on Coruscant. I admit, my earlier assumptions about your ineffectiveness as an officer were wrong."

"How wonderful of you," she said sarcastically. "Is there a reason why you didn't give me the benefit of the doubt when I was framed?"

"There were no alternate suspects," he stated simply.

"Perhaps, but considering how you would have been incinerated if it wasn't for me, you could have at least shown some gratitude," she pointed out.

"You only rescued me because of my half of the algorithm," he stated. "You would not have rescued me at all if I didn't possess the information."

"Of course I would have," she said. "You are a Republic officer. I would have rescued you even if Piell possessed the entire encryption."

"Risking the escape from the most effective prison in Separatist space to rescue non-essential personnel?" he asked rhetorically. "Doubtful to say the least. Then again, perhaps Kenobi would have, considering the Jedi's tendency to focus on the smaller picture instead of broader strategy. A weakness your former master lacks. Time will tell if you follow his example."

"Well, if the greater war effort requires letting you die, I can assure you that I will do so," she said darkly. "You also wanted to imprison Barriss, even though she was innocent."

"Only until the war was over," he retorted. "Padawan Offee would be held until such time that a revelation that she had been impersonated wouldn't have hurt the war effort."

"How would revealing that an insane ex-Jedi had impersonated an innocent woman and framed her for terrorism, hurt the war effort?" she asked incredulously.

"For one thing, it would hide the failure of our intelligence apparatus to properly identify Dansitius as soon as she was arrested," he started. "I also didn't believe she would recover for some time, making her useless to the war effort. She could always have been exonerated after the war when the revelation wouldn't affect anything."

"Your logic is flawed," stated Ahsoka. "By telling the public the truth about Narrisa, we avoided being caught in a lie when Narrisa returned."

"I was wrong about that, I grant you," Tarkin said. "But there was another reason to keep Offee in custody: she had been held in poor conditions and tortured for about two months. The psychological effects can be very detrimental. She could even have been convinced to join Dansitius during that time."

"Narrisa was never interested in convincing Barriss to join her," stated Ahsoka. "And Barriss received plenty of physical and psychological care during her recovery. It has been determined that she hasn't suffered any such effects. Is there anything else you want to say to me?"

"Only that I will be lodging a complaint with the Jedi Council for your disrespect," he answered.

"Go ahead, I don't care," said Ahsoka as she walked out of the room. She headed to the area where she sensed Barriss and Delta Squad were. Arriving in the room where Fixer was inside a Bacta Tank, Ahsoka saw the other three Commandos sitting down and Barriss talking to a doctor. As soon as Barriss had finished talking, she walked over to Ahsoka.

"Well, how is he?" the Togruta asked.

"Fixer will survive," Barriss told her friend. "It will be several days before he can be fitted with a prosthetic arm, however."

"That's good to know," Ahsoka said Barriss. "Don't worry about Tarkin, he was just trying to find a way to make us look incompetent. He will be complaining to the Jedi Council, though. Hopefully they won't give into his demands this time."

"The council doesn't make the same mistakes twice," the Mirialan assured her friend. Just then, Boss walked up to them.

"General Tano, I think it is time we made our report to General Zey and the Jedi Council," the Commando sergeant said.

"Alright, come with me back to the ship," Ahsoka said. "Everyone else will stay here, get some rest, and wait for Fixer to wake up." She and Boss walked out of the room, heading for the landing pad where their ship was.

Elsewhere…

Narrisa Dansitius was very unhappy. She had lost two of her fingers and Ahsoka had again survived her best efforts to kill her. She had made it back to the Sith Infiltrator that had brought her to Korriban. The droid pilot, however, refused to perform an attack run on Ahsoka and her team before leaving the planet and jumping to hyperspace. Now, Darth Sidious was contacting her. She knelt in front of the hologram as it activated.

"Yes, my lord?" she asked the Dark Lord.

"Narrisa, how did your tutelage with the ancient Sith go?" he asked her.

"Very well, master, but Tano followed me to Korriban, with Offee and several clones," she answered. "They were able to escape Sadow's tomb before being submerged in the acid."

"No matter," Sidious said. "The Bando Gora's toxin has been perfected. I expect you to carry out this task with complete efficiency. I want the Bando Gora to swarm the temple and kill as many inhabitants as possible."

"It will be a pleasure, my master," Narrisa said, grinning at the thought of flooding the Jedi Temple with Bando Gora mutants.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

"We just received a transmission from Admiral Tarkin," said Mace Windu's hologram. "He said you were extremely disrespectful toward him and that you were unfit for command."

"He was just trying to find a way to make the Jedi look bad, Master Windu," Ahsoka said.

"Probably," added Ki-Adi-Mundi. "Still, it would be prudent for you not to antagonize him."

"I didn't do anything to anger him, Master Mundi," she said. "Tarkin is only trying to start trouble where none exists, like he always is."

"We won't cave into his demands this time Ahsoka," said Plo Koon. "I know we haven't entirely regained your trust but we don't make the same mistake twice."

"I know, and thank you for your reassurance," Ahsoka replied. "As for what we learned on Korriban, I can only say this: Narrisa is becoming more powerful by the day. She has learned how to use force lighting properly, control Tukata, and even a Terentatek."

"Hmm, powerful beasts of the Dark Side, they are," said Yoda. "Faced one on Kashyyyk, I did, long ago. A powerful opponent, it was."

"Barriss and Delta Squad were the ones who killed it, Master Yoda," Ahsoka informed the old master. "They are the ones you should praise."

"Indeed we will, Knight Tano," said Mace Windu. "Sergeant Boss, I believe we met before, shortly after you liberated the RAS _Prosecutor_?"

"Yes, we did, General," confirmed Boss. "As for dealing with that Sith monster, all four of us blasted it in the back with our grenade launchers. Then, when it was focusing on us, Commander Offee stabbed its exposed heart with her lightsaber, instantly killing it."

"You are to be commended," said Mundi. "Few are capable of surviving a battle with such a creature. I understand one of your squadmates was injured in the battle."

"Yes, General, but he is going to survive and be fitted with a new arm," said Boss. "As soon as the installation is completed, we will be coming back to Coruscant."

"It is good to know that your friend will be alright, Ahsoka," said Obi-Wan. "But what you have informed us about Narrisa is very troubling. We shall dispatch a team to investigate Korriban for traces of her."

"That will not be necessary, Master Kenobi," said Ahsoka. "The only place we can confirm where she had been was Naga Sadow's Tomb, which she flooded with acid in an attempt to kill us. It is virtually impossible to search the rest of the tombs, caves, and other assorted ruins near the valley for traces of her. Even trying to search for her Force signature would be extremely difficult with all that dark side energy."

"She is right Obi-Wan," agreed Plo. "While the ideal solution is the one you propose, it is too impractical to work under these current circumstances. We can't afford to devote so many Jedi to an expedition that has so little likelihood of success."

Just then, Boss heard something through his helmet comlink.

"Generals, Fixer is awake," he announced. "With your permission, I would like to be there for my brother as his new arm is getting attached."

"Permission granted, you can both go," said Obi-Wan. "I think we are done here anyway."

"Thank you, Master," Ahsoka said. She then bowed respectfully as the hologram ended. She then followed Boss out of the ship and back to the hospital where the limb graft would take place.

Inside the hospital, Fixer was sitting in a hospital bed, with Barriss right next to him. She was using the Force to suppress any pain that he might be feeling as the procedure began.

"Nice to see you here, Boss," said Fixer. "I never thought I would live through something like an acid-filled tomb."

"Well, I never thought such a scenario would happen at all," said Scorch. "Besides, you're too tough to die. If I could survive torture by Trandoshans with a datacard shoved up my-"

"Do you really need to finish that sentence?" Ahsoka asked rhetorically. "Fixer, I am sorry for dragging you on this mission."

"Don't be, Ma'am, I wanted to go," Fixer said. "Dansitius is a danger to the Republic and everyone connected with you. The sooner she dies, the better."

"That is something we all agree on," added Sev. "I can't wait to blow her head off."

"You know, Sev, you don't always have to be so creepy," said Scorch. "I know you like being scary but you could dial back a bit when we aren't in the field."

"Aah!" exclaimed Fixer as the first part of his new arm was installed by a medical droid. "Commander Offee, I thought you were trying to prevent the pain."

"Sorry, I got distracted," the Mirialan said to her patient. "It won't happen again."

While that was going on, Scorch turned to the others, "I know this might seem like its coming out of nowhere, but I can't help but wonder why Nala Se went along with the murder of Fives," said Scorch. "She definitely wasn't some smug, Kaminoan supremacist who saw us as test subjects and products."

"Ordo once told me that the Kaminoan government had a procedure called Reconditioning," said Ahsoka. "How they performed behavioral modification on clones who didn't meet their standards, if they weren't outright murdered. Who is to say the Kaminoans don't do it to their own people?"

"If that is the case, it is better that she is now dead," said Sev. "People who undergo Reconditioning are never the same as they were before. I would rather die than be changed in such a manner."

Ahsoka nodded silently in agreement. Being turned into a monster against your will was a terrible thought. During a conversation with Asajj Ventress, the former Separatist confessed that she had turned the Nightbrother Savage Opress into the unstoppable killing machine that everyone in the Jedi Order had come to learn of. It made Ahsoka even more cautious about Ventress than before. It made Ahsoka think of Mortis. She didn't remember much of the time she spent under The Son's control but she had a feeling she was better off not remembering.

"Alright, Fixer, this will hurt a little," said Barriss, interrupting Ahsoka's thoughts. "We are about to attach the arm itself." The medical droid proceeded to bring the prosthetic arm and carefully attach it to Fixer's shoulder. The Commando grunted as it was attached.

"I spend most of my time on missions slicing into computers," he said. "Now, I get to understand what getting sliced into feels like."

"Well, one good thing has come out of this," said Scorch. "You are now developing a sense of humor." He was then wacked on the head by Sev.

"Now is not the time for you to crack jokes," the sniper said.

"It's alright Sev," interjected Fixer. "I haven't developed a sense of humor. I was just trying to take my mind off of the pain."

Thirty minutes later, the painkillers had worn off and Fixer could move again. After another half an hour of basic movements with the arm, the six Republic heroes left the hospital and boarded their ship. After several minutes of preflight checks and receiving clearance from Eriadu Air Traffic Control, they took off the landing pad. Five minutes later, after breaking the atmosphere and gravity well of the planet, they jumped to hyperspace, their destination was Coruscant. A nonstop flight to the Republic capital world would take thirty-six hours. Time that everyone intended to use in order to rest. None of them had slept since they had first arrived on Korriban, and that was over two days ago. Only Fixer had received anything resembling sleep during that time, and it was hardly ideal. Thankfully, they had checked everything on the ship and determined that the autopilot would function. Though, to be on the safe side, they would take shifts to monitor the systems, with Fixer and Sev taking first watch. Seven hours later, Ahsoka and Barriss relieved the two clones.

"Uh, Ahsoka, can I ask for some advice?" asked Barriss.

"Of course, Barriss," answered Ahsoka. "What is it?"

"I think that Fixer is attracted to me," the Mirialan confessed. Ahsoka was rather surprised at that statement. She didn't think that Fixer had any interests other than slicing computers.

"Well, you did save his life and install his new arm," Ahsoka pointed out. "You are also very attractive, so there is that."

"Thank you, Ahsoka," she said. "I like him too, but he might simply be letting the stress of the past several days get to him. Besides, I need to keep the code in mind."

"Barriss, the code is a nice thing but there are several things about it that I disagree with," the Togruta said. "The stance against emotional attachments especially. Don't you remember how the story of Revan and Bastila Shan ended?"

"What do you mean?" Barriss asked. "Revan convinced Bastila to turn away from the Dark Side."

"Considering how the two later married and had a son, it seems likely that Revan used more than just typical pleading to convince her to join him," Ahsoka pointed out. "Whatever you decide, I won't tell anyone else about this conversation."

"Thank you, Ahsoka," Barriss replied. "You are a true friend. And don't worry, I won't ask where you got these ideas of yours."

Ahsoka smiled at the comment and stared back at the monitors.

Later…

After switching places with Boss and Scorch, Ahsoka and Barriss went back to the passenger bay. Eventually, they arrived back at Coruscant. They set course for Arca Barracks. Awaiting them was Arligan Zey, Maze, and Walon Vau. Ahsoka and the team walked up to them.

"Are you alright, Fixer?" asked Zey.

"Yes, General," answered Fixer. "It doesn't hurt anymore. Though I will need some time to learn how to hold my gun without breaking it."

"Of course," said Zey. "We will take you off the duty roster for the time being. At least until you learn how to use that arm properly."

"I take it you didn't take any unnecessary risks, General Tano," Vau asked in a rather confrontational tone.

"Of course not," Ahsoka said firmly. "Tarkin already tried to paint me as incompetent, I won't let you do so."

"Sarge, I volunteered for this mission," interjected Fixer, trying to defuse the situation. "There is nothing General Tano could have done to prevent this. There is no need to blame anyone."

"If you say so," said Vau, believing the Commando. The grizzled old sergeant then walked away. Barriss then looked at Boss.

"Is Sergeant Vau bad at expressing his own feelings?" she asked.

"Vau cares about us but he has a hard time showing it," answered Boss. "It has always been like that with him." Ahsoka nodded, remembering how he came from an abusive family of Ffib cultists. She decided to change the subject, rather than go deeper into something Vau wouldn't appreciate.

"Master Zey, have you heard back from Sergeant Skirata?" she asked.

"No, I haven't," answered Zey. "I don't know where he is either. He probably isn't answering because he is talking to his children for the first time in over a decade. I have already seen Tarkin's recording of your interview, so there is no need to stay here to explain."

Ahsoka nodded and walked with Barriss to a gunship that would take them to the Jedi Temple. They boarded the gunship and departed into the sky. Twenty minutes later, they arrived at the Jedi Temple, where night had already fallen. When they walked into the ancient structure, they were greeted by Luminara and Obi-Wan.

"Barriss, what were you thinking of, going to Korriban?" asked the older Mirialan in a concerned tone. "You have only just recovered from your injuries and you went to the most dangerous planet to the Jedi in the galaxy."

"Master, I wasn't alone," Barriss reassured Luminara. "Ahsoka was there with me and so was an entire team of Clone Commandos."

"Even so, you should have been more careful," insisted the Jedi Master. "We need to check with the medical droid now, about your progress."

As the two Mirialans walked away, Obi-Wan walked up to Ahsoka.

"I think that you and Anakin have rubbed off on them," commented Obi-Wan. "Luminara is being much more open than before."

"Is that a problem, Master Obi-Wan?" Ahsoka asked.

"The approach you and Anakin take has its merits but it can cloud the judgement of the Master and Padawan," Obi-Wan explained.

"If you care about someone, your judgement regarding them will always be affected, even if you don't display it," Ahsoka pointed out. "Letting them know will only help them trust you."

"I understand the argument but not many others will," said Obi-Wan. "Anakin didn't tell you about our trip to Korriban, did he?"

"No, he didn't," she answered.

"I figured as much," he replied. "We were once attacked by a Tukata pack as well. It was an extremely terrifying experience. Later on, we were separated and forced to deal with our own challenges. I needed to deal with a maniac with an E-Web repeater, who blamed me for his father's suicide. Anakin needed to fight a Terentatek on his own." Ahsoka was shocked by that.

"Barriss and Delta Squad were almost killed by another Terentatek," Ahsoka said. "How did Anakin kill such a monster?"

"I am not sure," said Obi-Wan. "Anakin said something about-"

Just then, a massive explosion rocked the Temple, causing the lights to go out. Then, Ahsoka heard a mass of rumbling in the vents, along with growling and snarling. One of the vents burst open, and out came many bizarre shapes. Most of them had red eyes, others had skull-like helmets with blue eyes and carried staffs. All of it was far too familiar to Ahsoka.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

"Obi-Wan, those things don't stop until they die!" shouted Ahsoka as the Bando Gora charged toward them. "Kill them where they stand!"

"Under the circumstances, I would say such an approach is warranted," Obi-Wan agreed. He then grabbed a table with the force and sent it flying toward a column of the creatures, crushing many of them. Ahsoka then sliced through many more of the monsters with her two lightsabers. Obi-Wan beheaded the last of the creatures in the room. "I also find myself regretting my decision to let Anakin go on vacation."

"No one could have predicted this," Ahsoka replied. "In any event, we need to help secure the temple and deal with these monsters elsewhere. Those staffs the captains use are resistant to lightsabers. Just keep that in mind."

"Indeed I will," said the Jedi Master. "If we are to fight this menace effectively, we will need to restore power. We need to get to the basement so I can input my access code into the emergency generator. From there, we will be able to track the movement of those creatures and perhaps isolate them with the security doors."

After ensuring that no Bando Gora remained in the room, the pair continued their way into the temple. The Dark Side mutations made the creatures very hard to sense, so they kept their lightsabers ignited, illuminating the grand hallway. The massive corridor was unusually quiet and empty, with only distant sounds of battle and much debris from blown out conduits and lights scattered about, no doubt destroyed when the power went out. There were also several dead Jedi and at least twenty Bando Gora corpses strewn about the hall. The Jedi had torn throats and broken bones, while the Gora were cut to pieces. Just then, the two Jedi heard a loud, creaking sound coming from above. Five seconds later, the roof above them collapsed as the air vent gave way. Crashing down with it was dozens of Bando Gora. After a moment, the monsters turned and rushed toward Ahsoka and Obi-Wan. Ahsoka was able to cut through several with her lightsaber while Obi-Wan danced around the monsters, slicing through several more. One of the captains swung its staff at Obi-Wan, only to be blocked and swiftly decapitated by Obi-Wan's counterattack. Ahsoka jumped around several of the monsters, cutting through seven of them. Then, a massive statue above them started to crack. Obi-Wan and Ahsoka jumped away to avoid being crushed along with the Bando Gora. After it came crashing down, one green lightsaber and one blue appeared. The two Jedi then cut through ten of the remaining monsters while Ahsoka and Obi-Wan handled the rest. After the creatures were dealt with, the two Jedi approached and revealed themselves to be Luminara and Barriss.

"Master Unduli, I was not expecting to see you again so soon," said Obi-Wan.

"Neither was I, Master Kenobi," replied Luminara. "We were halfway to the med bay when the power went out and were immediately swarmed by those things. I think you described something similar after your mission to Kohlma, Ahsoka."

"Those are indeed the creatures I was talking about, Master Luminara," confirmed Ahsoka. "Narrisa sent them here as part of her newest scheme, no doubt."

"We will have to worry about that later," said Barriss. "Given the size of the Jedi Temple and the number of Bando Gora we have already encountered, I estimate that there are roughly three times as many Gora as there are Jedi present. There are roughly three hundred Masters, Knights, Padawans, and Trainees at the Jedi Temple today, so we are outnumbered and need to deal with them as soon as possible. Master Kenobi, our best chance of neutralizing this invasion is for us to go to the basement and use your security code for activating the system backup. That way, we can coordinate with the others more efficiently and use the building's systems against the Gora."

"Thank you, Barriss, we have already come to that conclusion," replied Obi-Wan. "We shall do so as soon as-"

Before Obi-Wan could finish his sentence, they all felt a cry for help through the Force. Ahsoka sensed it was close by, only a few rooms down. Something about the call for aid seemed familiar to her. Without uttering a word, the four Jedi sprinted to where they felt the distress call coming from. Without stopping, Ahsoka blasted the door off its hinges. The four Jedi saw a massive pack of the Dark Side mutants attacking Tera Sinube and a group of trainees. One of the trainees was already lying down on the ground, peppered with a dozen of those darts the Gora used to attack their enemies from afar. Sinube was doing his best but one of his ankles was already broken and his defense was faltering. The four Jedi rushed to help the elderly Master, cutting through countless Gora as they did. Before they could rescue him, however, he fell and was bludgeoned to death by three Bando Gora captains. Ahsoka threw a table at the three monsters, crushing them and several other Gora. She rushed up to the trainees. They were the group that she had taken to The Gathering on Ilum.

"Ahsoka, you need to help Zatt and Master Sinube!" shouted Katooni. "They are hurt and they need our help! We are alright but they aren't moving!"

"Katooni, listen to me," Ahsoka said calmly. "I cannot save them, they are already gone." The Togruta Knight then let the young Tholothian hug her and cry on her shoulder.

"Why would they do this?" Bryph said in the Ithorian language. "We didn't do anything to them and Master Tera and Zatt never hurt anyone!"

"Because, they are creatures of the Dark Side," said Luminara. "They do not pity or have any empathy and they seek to kill every-"

"Master, you aren't helping," Barriss whispered to Luminara. "They are scared little boys and girls who just watched their teacher and a friend they have known their entire lives get brutally murdered. They need to be reassured, not terrified."

As Barriss explained to her Master the necessity of being reassuring and comforting during a tragedy, Ahsoka looked to Katooni and Petro, the two most skilled members of the group.

"Do you know the old communications room at the end of the hall?" she asked the young Jedi.

"Yes," sniffed Katooni, trying to hold back the tears of losing a friend and a caring teacher.

"Go in there and lock yourselves inside," she said. "Barriss will come with you to keep you safe."

Barriss was a little surprised at the assignment but she knew that it was necessary. It would also let Luminara relax about her wellbeing, since she hadn't undergone a medical checkup yet.

"Are you sure about that, Master Ahsoka?" asked Gungi rather nervously.

"Barriss is our friend," reassured Ahsoka. "You did not see Barriss fighting Master Skywalker, you saw an impersonator. You can trust her, guys."

The Clan of trainees seemed reassured by this, and accepted Ahsoka's judgement. They then turned to Barriss, who looked back at them.

"Okay, everyone stay behind me as we move down to the communications room," she said.

Barriss led the group out of the room and to their next destination. After making sure there weren't any monsters coming from the opposite direction, the other three Jedi continued on their journey to the generator room. As they progressed, they continued to come across signs of battle. Numerous dismembered corpses littered the ground, with several Jedi lying between them. The Jedi here had tried their best but they had been overwhelmed by the sheer number of monsters that swarmed them from all sides. It was likely other Jedi would in the temple would face similar odds. Just another reason why they needed to reactivate the generator. The trio walked to the end of the hall and came to a massive stairwell. After making sure there weren't any creatures inside, they started walking down toward the generator room. Eventually, they reached the bottom. After going inside the room, Obi-Wan walked up to the control panel and input the access code he had received after becoming a councilmember. After a minute of humming, the generator turned back on, lighting up the room and the rest of the temple.

"Luminara, the security monitors are right over there," Obi-Wan said. "I will activate the circuits for the remote override function, Ahsoka will help you operate the systems." The cameras throughout halls were a new addition to the Jedi Temple. Before the war, most of the cameras in the building were used for recording messages and holocalls. After Cad Bane had infiltrated the Jedi Temple so successfully, however, the security cameras were installed throughout the temple. They were also capable of seeing through holographic disguises, such as the one Cato Parasitti had used to impersonate the murdered Ord Enisence, as well as scan for any unauthorized droids in the building. Some of the Jedi Councilmembers were a little skeptical at the idea but, as Anakin pointed out, some things were harder to sense with the Force. After Obi-Wan went to the circuit breaker, Ahsoka looked at Luminara.

"Master Luminara, sit down in the chair," instructed Ahsoka. "That monitor will allow you to see everything in the selected camera's field of vision. You will also be able to activate the announcement system to speak to any Jedi present. As for operating it-"Before Ahsoka could continue, her comlink started beeping.

"Ahsoka, this is Barriss," the voice on the other end identified itself. "Thank you for restoring power but I'm afraid I have bad news."

"What is it Barriss?" Ahsoka asked.

"I can see out of the window now that the lights are back on," Barriss answered. "It looks like that we aren't the only people on Coruscant to lose power. The only light out there is the occasional speeder and a few fires. It looks like about two thousand others have been turned into those creatures and are headed up the walkway. Recommend you activate those security doors."

"Obi-Wan, we have company headed our way!" she shouted. "We need that override now!"

"Done. Activate the security doors to keep more of them out and then isolate the rest of those creatures," Obi-Wan calmly said, Ahsoka immediately complying with the order. "I am also sending a distress signal describing the situation to anyone who can respond. Luminara, go with Ahsoka to help secure the temple, I will stay here and operate the systems."

Ahsoka and Luminara nodded at the councilmember and walked out of the room, closing the door on their way out. Halfway to the top of the stairwell, Ahsoka activated her wristcom.

"Barriss, the doors are closed, but that will only slow them down," said Ahsoka. "Are Katooni and her friends secure?"

"The vents to this chamber are too small for the Gora to crawl through, and the door will lock when I leave, so yes," answered Barriss. "Where should I meet up with the three of you?"

"Obi-Wan is operating the systems, so it is just me and your master," clarified Ahsoka. "We are in the stairwell right now but the library is the closest place we can meet."

"I will see you there in three minutes," said Barriss. "May the Force be with us."

"Indeed," said Ahsoka as the comlink ended. As they approached the library, she couldn't help but wonder what Narrisa was up to.

Elsewhere…

Far from the Jedi Temple, Narrisa Dansitius was very pleased with herself. She had managed to turn hordes of Republic citizens into Bando Gora using a fast-acting, airborne strain of the Bando Gora toxin, and send them against various targets across the planet. Large swaths of the Underlevels were now swarming with the creatures. Thanks to her sabotage of the Jedi Temple, the ancient structure would soon be overrun with the monsters. All of that was simply a distraction from her real goal, however. Here she was, in a rundown asylum filled with suicidal individuals and other weaklings who couldn't handle their basic insecurities and whom she thought were better off dead. Unknown even to the staff she had killed, one of the supposed patients wasn't ill at all. She opened the door to one of the rooms. Inside was a human woman in her late thirties to early forties, with gold and red striped hair.

"Who are you?" asked the supposed patient.

"I am your rescuer, Doctor Uthan," answered Narrisa, grinning as she did so. "It is time for you to continue your work."

**That's right, Palpatine is planning on using his insurance policy against the clones. As always, read and review.**


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Narrisa guided Uthan to her ship, and they took off. Uthan was a Separatist scientist who was trying to create a Nanovirus specifically targeting clones. Before she could develop the Nanovirus, however, a group of Clone Commandos destroyed her lab and abducted her from the backward planet she was using as a base. Palpatine wanted something that could eliminate the clones should they turn against him but needed her out of site so the war could continue. Now that most clones were having their Inhibitor Chips removed, he needed that contingency. The first place Narrisa and Uthan would be heading to would be Arkannia, a planet obsessed with genetic engineering that had the resources necessary for Uthan to begin her work again.

"You work for the hooded one?" asked Uthan.

"Yes," confirmed Narrisa. "We would have rescued you earlier but we couldn't find you and then we needed to arrange a distraction for our escape."

"I can see," said the scientist, looking at the fires in the distance. "I hope these pseudo-democrats and their Coruscanticentric puppets burn."

"That they will," promised Narrisa, "when we destroy their army. You are still able to do so, are you not?"

"Indeed I am," proclaimed Uthan. "Let us get out of here so I might be able to do so."

Back at the Jedi Temple…

Coming out of the elevator to the library, they immediately saw Barriss fighting a large number of Bando Gora. Rushing to their friends aid, Ahsoka and Luminara cut their way through the Gora that were about to flank Barriss. Barriss then finished off a Gora captain before turning around.

"Thank you, Master, Ahsoka," the younger Mirialan said to her friends. "Where is Master Kenobi?"

"He is operating the security systems and countermeasures," answered Luminara. "He has engaged the blast doors at the entrance and is now tracking the movement of the monsters inside."

"Indeed I am, Ahsoka," said Obi-Wan over the PA. "There are no more of those creatures on this floor. There is, however, a massive number on the floor above you. I recommend that you stick together while dealing with them."

"We won't go off on our own, Master Kenobi," said Luminara. "I already learned the consequences of doing that on the _Tranquility_ and to a lesser extent on Geonosis."

"I would hope so," said Barriss. "Master Kenobi, are we receiving any aid from the outside?"

"Not as far as I can tell, Barriss," stated Obi-Wan. "With so much of the rest of the planet also under attack, it does not look like we will be receiving any help for the time being. And the communications system has been disabled, so I can't call for help. So for the time being, we are on our own."

"How many other Jedi are left?" asked Ahsoka.

"Most of the younglings are hiding throughout the temple, with two entire clans barricaded in the council tower with Madame Jocasta," answered Obi-Wan. "Unfortunately, most of the Padawans and Knights present, apart from us, have been killed. I have directed the remaining twenty five to the main entrance. The Gora are slowly but surely breaking through the blast doors, and when that happens, we will need everything in our arsenal to stop them. I have activated the fans to prevent anymore getting in through the vents."

"I guess we will need to order a cleaning for the ventilation system after this," Ahsoka snarked. "Master Obi-Wan, how long will it take for the Gora to get through the blast doors?"

"I don't think it will last more than one and a half hours," answered Obi-Wan. "I suggest you deal with the ones above you first. I have isolated most of the other Bando Gora and they lack the sufficient numbers or strength to break through the doors. I have also eliminated a particularly large group by overloading the transformer on that floor, electrocuting them. The Gora above you are the largest number of hostiles that are both alive and uncontained. I have done all I can from here, so I will be meeting you on that floor, I will come from the opposite side in order to flank them. Afterward, we shall head to the entrance to fight off the Bando Gora."

"Understood, we will see you there," said Ahsoka. The three women then got back in the elevator. As soon as they exited on the next floor, they saw a massive number of Gora fifty feet ahead of them. One of the Gora turned around and saw them, roaring at them and gaining the attention of the others. The rest of the horde turned around and started rushing towards them. As a result, none of them noticed Obi-Wan coming in behind them. Ahsoka and the others activated their lightsabers and used the Force to guide them through their targets. Another jumped at Ahsoka but she dispatched it with her second lightsaber, regaining her first immediately after. While that was going on, Obi-Wan was slicing through the rear ranks of the Gora. Seeing that the enemies' numbers were dwindling, Ahsoka and the others charged forward, slicing through more of the monsters. Shortly after, they had cut through all the remaining Gora and reunited with Obi-Wan.

"I am glad to see all of you okay," said Obi-Wan. "Now that this group is eliminated, we need to get to the main entrance."

"Are you sure this is the last group prowling the halls?" asked Luminara.

"I have linked the security system to my datapad, Master Unduli," he said pulling it out. He looked at it for several seconds. "All remaining Gora contingents contained. They do not have the strength necessary to break through those doors, and if they try to get out through the air vents they will be shredded. The younglings and Madame Jocasta are perfectly capable of handling stragglers. The survivors at the gate will need our help, however. Apart from Master Drallig, most of them aren't particularly skilled fighters."

"Well, it looks like they are going to wish they attended his lessons, soon," said Ahsoka. Cin Drallig was a Jedi Master who was charged with training young Jedi in the ways of the lightsaber. Unlike most other Jedi Masters and Knights who had become generals, including his former apprentice Serra Keto, he had stayed at the Jedi Temple to continue his instruction of Jedi apprentices. The most active he had been in recent memory was when he helped Ahsoka and Anakin investigate the temple bombing. While he was certainly a skilled duelist, his relative lack of combat experience had diminished his fighting ability. The last time Anakin had dueled Drallig, the younger knight had won the bout. In addition, he had never shown any aptitude for thinking outside of academic solutions and had no experience commanding others. As a result, Ahsoka did not think Drallig would be up to the task of defending the gate for long.

"They can always learn on duty," said Obi-Wan. "Those Gora won't wait for us, we better get moving." The four Jedi ran with all possible speed to the main entrance. After five minutes, they arrived at the main gate. The twenty five Jedi, under the leadership of Master Drallig, were waiting behind the main barricade. Ahsoka was the first to come into view.

"Tano!" shouted Drallig. "What are you doing here? You're supposed to be destroying the remaining Gora inside the temple."

"Ahsoka and the others have already eliminated or isolated the remaining Gora inside," interjected Obi-Wan. "There is no need to be yelling at her."

"Master Kenobi," said Drallig, much more respectfully. "I'm sorry, I didn't know. I am glad to see you have stopped playing around with Skywalker's useless toys."

"Anakin's security system has worked very well and is ensuring that no more Gora crawl through the vents or get out of the rooms they are in," Obi-Wan replied. "They have also been the only thing that has been able to track the movement of those creatures. If anything should be done about it, it should be upgraded. But your dislike of Anakin aside, what is the situation here?"

"The doors won't hold for very long, though we were able to get the few that walked through before it was sealed," the swordmaster said, pointing to several dismembered Gora. "Several others did not get all the way through." He then pointed toward a small puddle of blood at the door. "When they get through, we shall cut through any of the creatures we see with our lightsabers and-"

"Master Drallig, I am telling you, that strategy won't work," interjected Tallisibeth Enwandung Esterhazy. She preferred to be called Scout and was being trained by Jai Maruk, who was offworld. Scout was a couple years younger than Ahsoka and had been a friend of the Togruta Knight for many years. Her somewhat weak connection to the Force made several people say that she would never become a knight. Scout did not care what people said about how she was destined to grow plants on remote worlds and became even more determined to succeed, gaining a reputation for dirty fighting and being extremely confrontational, never hesitating to voice her opinion. "We should begin by using that crate of landmines to hinder their advance and thin their numbers," she pointed toward a pair of weapons crates taken from the hanger. "Then we should stand back with those rifles and fire on the rest of them."

"Jedi don't use such barbaric weapons," retorted Drallig. "And if you don't learn respect, I will send you off to an agrarian planet regardless of what Maruk-"

"You do not have that authority, Master Drallig," interrupted Ahsoka. "Such a thing can only be done by a unanimous vote of the council."

"She is correct, Master Drallig," Obi-Wan said before Drallig could go off on another rant. "After the disaster after the bombing, the Jedi Council decided that decisions regarding the fate of individual Jedi would have to be unanimous in order to pass. Padawan Esterhazy, I know things are stressful but you should be more respectful toward your superiors. Having said that, I agree with your plan. Set up the mines and then everyone grab a blaster. I don't like such weapons but circumstances make them the most practical."

"Thank you, Master Kenobi," said Scout. "I will start preparing the minefield."

"In addition, I believe there are several repeating blasters in nearby crates," said Ahsoka. "It would be wise to set them up at the top of the staircase for when we need to fall back."

"Good idea," complimented Obi-Wan. "Luminara, Barriss, set them up and get in two of them once you are done. Then get ready to open fire as soon as we are up the stairs."

"Understood, Obi-Wan," affirmed the older Mirialan, before turning around to help her apprentice retrieve and set up the emplacements.

The various Jedi grabbed the landmines and blasters, preparing for the onslaught. After forty five minutes, the monsters broke through the blast doors. Just as planned, the Gora rushed straight into the minefield. Dozens of them were blown apart by the explosives. Given how the Bando Gora were flesh and blood as opposed to metal and circuits, the explosions sprayed blood and bits of bone all across the room. One of the nice things about fighting droids, Ahsoka thought, was that they didn't make as big a mess as other adversaries. As soon as the first wave was blown to bits, more rushed in, at which point the Jedi, under Obi-Wan's instruction, opened fire with the appropriated blaster rifles. Dozens more were cut down in the hail of blaster bolts. While their mutations had made the Bando Gora resistant to blaster fire, blaster rifles were still rather powerful and were able to kill them in one or two shots. Most of the Jedi had never trained with blasters, so they relied on the Force to guide their shots, making critical hits on their enemies. Even without accuracy, the sheer number of blaster bolts were making a dent in the Gora's numbers. Despite this, there was still a massive number of the creatures running toward them through the hole made in the blastdoors.

"Fall back up the staircase!" ordered Obi-Wan. The Jedi obeyed and retreated with all possible haste to the top of the stairs. As soon as the Jedi were out of the line of fire, Barriss and Luminara opened fire with the repeaters. Ahsoka and Obi-Wan joined their friends on the repeaters and opened fire at the horde as well. The other Jedi opened fire with their blaster rifles as well, killing many of the monsters before they could make it up the stairs. Just then, they heard the roar of a ship's engine outside. Then they heard the sound of laser cannons firing outside. They ignored the sound and continued blasting the monsters that tried to run up the stairs, being careful to avoid overheating the repeaters. Within two minutes, the Bando Gora stopped coming and the sound of laser cannons firing ceased. Then there was the sound of a ship landing just outside the temple.

"Don't shoot, it's me!" shouted Anakin Skywalker just before he walked in view of them.

"So you finally showed up just in time," said Obi-Wan. "I thought you were on vacation."

"I sensed what was happening, Master, and came as soon as possible," explained Anakin. "Are there anymore monsters in the Temple?"

"They have been isolated, thanks to the new security system you installed," Ahsoka answered. "You should definitely install those improvements you recommended, as well."

"I concur," added Obi-Wan. "What is the situation across the rest of the planet?"

"The majority of the surrounding district has been transformed into those monsters," said Anakin. "Much of the underlevels have also been overrun. At least those Underworld Police are handling it better than the surface cops, and have actually been able to halt the advance of the monsters from that area. They seem capable of stopping the advance until we can send reinforcements. General Zey will know more, as he is directing the response against the Bando Gora."

"Alright, it is decided then," said Obi-Wan. "Luminara, you are in charge of defending the Temple against the Bando Gora. Barriss, take this." He handed his datapad to the younger Mirialan. "It will show you the location of the isolated Gora. Go to each of these locations on the map and eliminate them. Ahsoka, come with us to Arca Barracks."

Ahsoka followed Obi-Wan and Anakin outside. Stepping out of the building, she saw a massive row of smoldering Bando Gora, blown apart by lasers. A short distance away, Padme's new ship was sitting out in the open, a pair of laser cannons mounted on it smoking, with Padme standing in the doorway and holding her pistol.

"You are alright, wonderful," she said, relieved they had survived.

"It is nice to see you to, Senator, but I thought all the ships that you flew were unarmed," Obi-Wan responded.

"After all that has happened, Anakin insisted that my ship was equipped with the means to defend itself," Padme explained. "Thankfully too, otherwise we wouldn't have been able to stop that horde of monsters." Ahsoka nodded at that statement before walking into the ship. The ship took off as soon as she was secure aboard, heading for Arca Barracks. Hopefully they would be able to resolve the crisis soon.

**Sorry it has been so long since I updated. I have been preoccupied with Thanksgiving and other things. The ship Padme is in is the one she used to go to Mustafar towards the end of Episode 3. I think that, after everything, Anakin would insist on it being armed and overall being better protected. I hope you all enjoyed this.**


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

The Sith Infiltrator had no trouble evading detection as it fled out of the system. Even if the Coruscant authorities weren't focusing on the Bando Gora, the ship's cloaking device hid them from view. Behind the controls, Narrisa Dansitius was quite pleased with herself. She had unleashed the Bando Gora on Coruscant, no doubt it would kill many Jedi as a result, and had recovered Dr. Ovolot Qail Uthan, a brilliant scientist who was working on a clone-specific biological weapon before she was captured. Now they were headed to Arkannia pick up the equipment that Darth Sidious had requisitioned for them.

"How long will it be until I have a laboratory again?" asked Uthan, who was seated right next to Narrisa.

"We already have a location but we need to pick up the equipment first," answered Narrisa. "That is why we are headed to Arkannia. After that, we shall go to your homeworld to continue your research."

"It will be nice to see Gibad again," said Uthan. "I hadn't been there for several years before the war. It will be nice to go back there again."

"Just don't get so caught up in nostalgia that you forget why we are going there," said Narrisa.

"I won't but I haven't talked to my cousin in three years," said Uthan. "I can talk to her without comprising the project." Narrisa rolled her eyes at Uthan's statement. She really didn't enjoy having to indulge Uthan's hobbies but Sidious said that it was likely she would look up her family and associates after she returned to her homeworld, and she should be permitted, so things didn't strike her as suspicious. Hopefully Narrisa would be able to kill this annoying scientist after the task was completed.

Back on Coruscant…

It only took five minutes to fly from the Jedi Temple to Arca Barracks. After Anakin transmitted his clearance code, he set the ship down on the closest landing pad. With Luminara and Barriss charged with securing the Jedi Temple itself, only Ahsoka, Anakin, and Obi-Wan had gone on the ship to the Special Operations Brigade headquarters. The three old friends departed the ship, with Anakin stopping briefly to tell Padme to go back to her apartment building and stay there until the Bando Gora were dealt with. Walking past the gauntlet of clone troopers, they entered the command center. In the middle, Arligan Zey was directing various troop movements across a command board. He then looked up toward the new arrivals.

"It is good to see that the Guardian Trio is here," said Zey, referencing a nickname originating from the specialties of the three Jedi. "I would expect you to be out in the field right now."

"We have just eliminated the Gora attacking the Temple," responded Obi-Wan. "Master Unduli is staying behind to defend the Temple and eliminate the remaining creatures inside. We decided to come here and learn more about the overall situation before proceeding."

"Well, Master Kenobi, much of the Underlevels are being overrun with the Bando Gora, we have largely been pushed back to Coco Town," Zey said. "The 501st and 212th legions has assembled in the courtyard. The three of you are to lead them to Coco Town and work your way into the underlevels from there. Then, you are to head to the main air purification building for that sector and insert this into the dispersal device." He showed them a Durasteel cylinder. "After General Tano's adventure on Kohlma, I decided to take precautions and had the native neurotoxin analyzed. The final result was this countermeasure. This will render the poison harmless and will destroy any Bando Gora creature it comes in contact with."

"How do you know this will work?" asked Obi-Wan.

"I haven't had an opportunity to test it until now, but it should be harmless to anyone apart from the Gora," said Zey. "I understand your misgivings about this but apart from bombing the areas that the Gora have infested, this is the only way to stop them. Any questions?"

"What about Delta Squad?" asked Ahsoka.

"They, along with Omega Squad, have been sent to retake control of the water purification system, which is now spreading the toxin," answered Zey. "Don't worry, they know how to deal with these monsters and they have done this sort of thing before."

Ahsoka sighed in relief. Omega Squad had accompanied her to Kohlma and had fought against these monsters before. They would be able to teach Delta Squad how to deal with them effectively.

"I understand, Master Zey," said Obi-Wan. "We will head to Coco Town as soon as we have met up with the 501st and the 212th."

Ahsoka followed her two older friends to the courtyard where the 501st had assembled. Greeting them was Rex, Cody, and Echo.

"Generals, the men are ready for your orders," said Rex, saluting his three friends.

"Prepare them to move out, Rex," said Anakin. "We are headed to Coco Town to begin the push into the underlevels."

"Understood, General," said Rex. While Anakin and Obi-Wan walked away to address the troops with Rex and Cody close behind, Echo stayed behind to talk with Ahsoka.

"Thank you for approving my request to have my chip removed and thoroughly analyzed," said Echo. "If you hadn't, I never would have learned why Fives had died."

"Fives was my friend too, Echo," replied Ahsoka. "Hopefully we will discover the true villains behind his death, as well."

"Indeed," said Echo. "I am relieved I won't be turned on my friends because of a code phrase or something." Ahsoka nodded in understanding, she could relate to the terror of being forced against her friends by something beyond her control. She had experienced such a thing on the strange world of Mortis and she had no desire to see anyone else suffer the same fate. The thought of an entire army suffering such a fate was simply too terrifying to imagine. Realizing that the others were waiting for them, Ahsoka and Echo walked into the briefing hall where the rest of the troops were. Anakin, Obi-Wan, Rex, and Cody were standing on a podium in front of the troops. They had just explained the situation and mission to the assembled clones, who were now moving out to the gunships.

"We are heading out now," said Obi-Wan. "Let us hope that the Bando Gora haven't reached the surface yet. If we can't stop them there, we will be forced to use orbital bombardment to force them back underground."

"Really?" asked Ahsoka disbelievingly. The thought of the Republic Navy bombing the capital world was unimaginable.

"The Bando Gora are extremely dangerous and contain countless monsters," said Obi-Wan. "A trillion people live on this planet, and the center of galactic government is also here. Bombing five to ten million people out of existence is considered acceptable compared to the loss of the whole planet."

"Then I suppose we should get to it then," Ahsoka said. She and Echo joined their friends on the gunship that would take them to Coco Town. The flight over to their destination took twenty minutes. Coco Town was on the surface of Coruscant but it was still a fairly seedy section of the planet-wide city. Most of the vendors here were illegal, to the point where Dexter's Diner, a restaurant owned by Obi-Wan and Anakin's old friend, the Besalisk Dexter Jettster, had hidden repulsorlifts in the diner. Because most of the crime here was nonviolent, it was typically policed by the two hundred year old police droids commonly seen on the upper levels. The police droids might have still been effective if they had regular maintenance and upgrades. In addition, about one fourth of the droids had their major components stolen and sold off by their organic colleagues for extra money. When Commander Fox had been given direct control of Coruscant's security forces, he had the police droids retired and replaced with organic patrols augmented by reprogrammed battle droids. The organic patrolmen were typically members of the Coruscant Guard, a large force of clone troopers assigned to protect Coruscant. He also had several Underworld cops brought up to the surface and placed in charge of surface patrolmen. The surface cops often grumbled about needing to take orders from 'tube rats' and 'trash sweepers'. That was until Fox had those men used for taser practice. Then the surface cops learned to be more respectful to their superiors. Not helping the matter was one of the senior commanders of the surface security branch, Antonin Dovel. Dovel was an idiotic paper pusher who had been repeatedly upstaged by clones, Jedi, and recently the Underworld police, whom he regarded as idiotic brutes. His antipathy toward clones began when Omega Squad rescued a group of hostages taken by Korun terrorists, and he had only grown more bitter. He often said that the other organizations didn't know proper police work, but most suspected he was simply upset by how they were making it hard for him to extort and receive bribes. He had also attempted to arrest Ahsoka after she stopped the power plant from exploding, but when Anakin threatened to have him arrested on suspicion of treason, he backed down. The only reason he hadn't been removed from his position was as a gesture of goodwill towards the CSF. Unsurprisingly, he was there, at the barricade, arguing with an Underworld captain.

"Take off your helmet while I'm talking to you, Zimmer!" the administrator yelled.

"Sir, Marshall Commander Fox said that all field personnel must keep their helmets on while on duty," said the captain called Zimmer.

"You are going to take orders from that tube rat over me?!" yelled Dovel.

"The chancellor has placed him in charge sir, so yes, I will," replied Zimmer. "Also, our reinforcements have arrived."

Dovel turned around to look at the new arrivals.

"Oh, it's the Jedi who wrecked my speeder and house when he was a student, and the bratty savage who proves that killing cops have no consequences," said Dovel. "Shouldn't you be off beheading more hardworking peacekeepers right now?"

"If you are referring to dirty cops who commit treason for profit, I could start with you," retorted Ahsoka. "It wouldn't surprise me at all that you helped launch this attack."

"Typical Jedi barbarian," sneered the slimy administrator. "Always inventing lies to justify murdering innocent people for the purpose of increasing your own power. Your barbaric race should never have been allowed to leave your planet. And your master should have been left as a slave to the Hutts on that ball of sand." At that moment, Anakin lost his temper and hit the man right in the nose with his prosthetic arm, as hard as he could. The impact shattered Dovel's nose, causing him to scream out in pain.

"I would suggest you avoid individuals who are superior to you in every way," retorted Anakin. "If you don't, you will wish that I arrested you the last time we met." Dovel wandered off, covering his shattered nose. At which point Zimmerman walked forward.

"Don't pay attention to that creep," said the Underworld captain. "Dovel sent me off to the most dangerous part of the Underlevels after I defeated an entire gang of Black Scummers who boasted that they had paid up."

"Of course he did," said Ahsoka. "Guys like that are always corrupt."

"By the way, it is nice to meet you, General Tano," said Zimmerman. "I had been trying to get rid of that precinct you wiped out for years. Again, Dovel said that they had passed all Internal Affairs investigations and sent a couple IA members to 'keep an eye on me' at my precinct."

"Where are these investigators now?" asked Obi-Wan.

"Commander Fox executed them for taking bribes, just before he placed me in charge of Underworld security," Zimmerman answered. "One thing about Fox that I like is that he doesn't tolerate corruption. He has already killed about forty cops for taking bribes in the Underworld alone. The rest are falling in line. They still steal credits off the dead but they don't take bribes."

"So your men are still corrupt?" asked Obi-Wan.

"Working in the Underworld is the most dangerous job for a CSF officer," said Zimmerman. "It is also the lowest-paying posting. The men want more than those maggots at the top are willing to pay. The fact that the Underworld police hasn't gone on strike for nine hundred years is nothing short of a miracle. We were actually considering it the day war was declared. Making extra money is the only way I keep them happy."

"As long as they don't betray us, I will have no problems with your men," said Anakin. "Can I trust them to have my back?"

"Of course, General Skywalker," said Zimmerman. "I shall rally my men and await your orders." The Underworld captain turned around and walked away.

"So the most helpful policeman we meet is corrupt," said Obi-Wan. "How typical."

"You don't know that," said Anakin. "There were no indications that he himself was corrupt. I would think you would know better to make assumptions without clear evidence, given what you told me about your adventure with the Savrips."

"Very well, I won't complain for the rest of the mission," replied Obi-Wan. The three Jedi Generals then walked in front of the assembled clones and Underworld policemen. Obi-Wan stepped in front of them.

"I know that many of you are not soldiers by trade," Obi-Wan began his address. "Unfortunately, you are now soldiers by necessity. If we do not stop the Bando Gora now, this district will be bombed out of existence in order to stop them. These creatures cannot be reasoned with and must be killed. Given what was done to make them that way, it would be better to end their suffering." Obi-Wan then stepped aside for Anakin.

"Our group's task is to push into the Underlevels and secure the air scrubbing station," Anakin said. "We will likely encounter heavy resistance and they will almost certainly attempt to flank us. Once we secure the facility, however, the battle will be won. We will deploy this into the air purification system." He held up a durasteel cylinder. "This countermeasure will render the toxin inert and destroy any Bando Gora creatures that it infects."

"What about us?" asked one of the Underworld police officers.

"It shouldn't affect us, and your helmets will filter it out anyway," Anakin reassured them. "After the countermeasure is deployed, the Underlevels will be cleansed of Bando Gora and we will go to the surface to eliminate any stragglers. One last thing: your armor should protect you from their attacks but don't let them get close regardless."

The men all nodded in understanding and got on their speeders. Anakin, Ahsoka, and Obi-Wan all got on speeder bikes and took off ahead of the men. The bulk of the force would remain here to ensure the Gora would go no further, led by Cody and Echo. Rex would lead the men that would go to the Underlevels themselves, with Zimmerman acting as a guide. Dovel was being dragged along for the ride as his clearance was needed to open the purification station, despite his protests. They departed a short distance away from the main plant. The only thing left now was to trek the three kilometers to the entrance. The clones and policemen all kept their guns out while they checked the corners. A few of the monsters came rushing out but were quickly gunned down. Several of the monsters jumped out from the sewer grates below them but were swiftly sliced apart by the Jedi. Thankfully, they all made it to the entrance of the purification center.

"Alright, Dovel, do something helpful for once and open the door," ordered Ahsoka.

"But what if the monsters are inside?" he asked.

"We will handle them, now open the door," Anakin insisted.

Dovel walked forward and placed his hand on the biometric scanner. The door opened, at which point a Bando Gora sharpshooter inside fired a poison dart at the closest target he could see, which happened to be Dovel. It hit the administrator right in the neck, killing him almost instantly. Zimmerman immediately opened fire on the monster, blowing its head off.

"Well, at least he opened the door first," said Rex. "We won't have to deal with that potential traitor ever again."

"It would have been preferably if he was removed from administration nonviolently," said Obi-Wan. "Still, it is better than him being left in charge, and there is nothing we can do for him now anyway. Let's keep moving and deploy the countermeasure."

The contingent of clones and police entered the building after the three Jedi. They shined their lights in every corner, making sure there weren't any monsters about to attack them. Then Zimmerman fired his rifle at something far away, causing a shriek.

"I saw another of those snipers, sir," he said. "It was about to fire on us." Just then, several more of the monsters started rushing toward them. The group opened fire at the Gora, killing them. Just then, they heard a sound of repeated footsteps outside.

"Move!" shouted Anakin, realizing a large group of Gora was coming from behind. The clones and police rushed down the hallway, finally reaching the control room.

"Dig in!" he ordered. With the order, the clones and police readied their weapons and crouched, waiting for the oncoming onslaught. "Obi-Wan, insert the countermeasure into the air supply, we will hold them here."

Obi-Wan rushed into the room and began the startup protocol. While that was going on, hordes of the monsters had reached the hallway and were rushing towards the others. The firing line opened up and started blasting the monsters, the clones tossing grenades as well, with Anakin and Ahsoka guiding the explosives. Many of the monsters had been blown to pieces by the grenades. The monsters that somehow got through were sliced apart by Anakin and Ahsoka, who also threw debris at the creatures with the Force. After two minutes which felt like an eternity, the air pump came back online and a blue mist was dispensed. All the Bando Gora that were exposed to it first struggled to breathe, then fell to the ground and died immediately. Moments later, Obi-Wan walked out of the control room.

"For a moment I was worried it wouldn't work," said the Jedi Master. "Is everyone alright?"

"Dovel was the only casualty we suffered, General," reported Cody. "Everyone else is fine, sir."

"Congratulations, everyone," said Obi-Wan. "Thanks to your efforts, the Underworld will soon be purged of the Bando Gora. However, our job is not finished. I will stay in the Underlevels with Captain Zimmerman and the police contingent for the purpose of search and rescue as well as anti-looting operations. Everyone else will go to the surface, reunite with our surface element, and seek out and destroy the Bando Gora who have made it topside. Are there any questions?" No one said anything. "May the Force be with us," added Obi-Wan. The group exited the building and split up, the clones following Anakin and Ahsoka while the police followed Obi-Wan. Upon returning to the gunships, the two Jedi and the clones flew back to the surface to rejoin the rest of the clones.

**I am sorry about not posting sooner, I have been setting up Christmas decorations. I included the anti-Bando Gora gas because it was the only way they could logically destroy the infestation without massive loss of infrastructure and populace. I had the Gora neurotoxin placed in the water because it is the most effective way to do so without it being airborne, which would be easily detected on Coruscant. I had the Underworld cops be more than just redshirts because they seem to be one of the only CSF divisions that takes it's job seriously, apart from Jaller Obrim's Anti-Terrorist Unit. Given how they work in the most dangerous area of Coruscant, it would be logical that many of them wouldn't have a problem stealing money from crime scenes. Police Divisions assigned to dangerous areas are often rather corrupt, for example, the Rampart division of the LAPD.**


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

Narrisa was eager to get back to the ship and head for Gibad but Doctor Uthan refused to leave until she had inspected every piece of lab equipment Darth Sidious had procured for them and ensure they were safely stored before they took off again. The doctor had also been rather annoyed that Sidious had procured a partial genetic blueprint of the clone army. Darth Sidious recognized that it was growing increasingly likely that he would need to employ the FG36 Nanovirus in case the clone army turned against him. But until then, he would continue to use the clones. As such, Uthan could not be allowed to complete it too quickly. Thankfully, she didn't suspect that Sidious was withholding any information from her and simply thought that he had been unable to retrieve the complete information.

"Everything is ready," announced Uthan. "We can now leave for Gibad."

"Finally," said Narrisa. "You were taking forever to look it over."

"The equipment I need is very specific," Uthan reminded the Sith acolyte. "I wasn't going to wait to look at it on Gibad to see if Lord Sidious had placed the correct order. Also, it is extremely fragile and I didn't want to learn after our arrival that it had broken apart in hyperspace because it wasn't tied down properly. I am a little disappointed by Lord Sidious's choice in you as my rescuer. Ghez Hokan was a violent brute, but he was an intelligent one who appreciated the need to be careful with the virus and research. He was also able to predict the Republic plan for attack to almost complete perfection of how it would happen. I might have even avoided capture if I had listened to some of his suggestions."

"I would suggest you learn the concept of gratitude," retorted Narrisa, enraged by how Uthan said a Mandalorian barbarian was better than her. "I planned out the most elaborate rescue mission in history on your behalf, found a safe place for you to resume your research, and found all this equipment. Yet you continue to give me nothing but scorn. Well, I just decided your visit to that cousin of yours can wait until after you finish work on the Nanovirus. And if you think you can get away with doing so behind my back, let me remind you: you are the scientist Sidious prefers but you are not our only option. If you cause me any problems, I will be forced to look for alternative biologists and geneticists." Uthan was stunned to silence by Narrisa's threat.

"I am sorry if I am coming across as demanding," said the scientist. "I have just gotten out of an asylum after two years of being held incommunicado. I am sorry if it seemed like I was putting my personal life ahead of the cause. I can wait until our final victory to reunite with my family."

"Very well," replied Narrisa. Narrisa, however, had no intention of leaving the scientist alive after her task was complete. The Zeltron suppressed a smirk at the thought of beheading the Gibadan scientist.

Back on Coruscant…

It had taken several hours to cleanse the surface of Coruscant of the Bando Gora, who had permeated several towers on the surface. Thankfully, after two hours, the airborne countermeasure had filtered through most of the affected areas, leaving only a few hundred Bando Gora scattered throughout the planet. After the last of the Gora had been eliminated, Anakin and Ahsoka returned to Arca Barracks. Obi-Wan had also returned, having stopped the majority of looting in the Underlevels. Awaiting them in the briefing room was Commander Fox.

"I have just heard back from Carver," said the Coruscant Guard leader. "All the remaining Gora have been destroyed. I could tell because he was asking if he could take trophies, to which I told him it would have to be one of the masks of their captains."

"What about those wings of his?" asked Ahsoka.

"He will have to keep those out of sight from now on," answered Fox. "The only trophies I will let him display will be weapons or pieces of armor. But enough about my second in command, Generals. I would like to know how Zimmerman and Dovel performed."

"Dovel is dead," answered Obi-Wan. "Captain Zimmerman, however, performed extremely well under the circumstances. I recommend he be placed in charge of the Underworld division of the police, and that the salaries be increased for the officers with the most dangerous posting in the CSF."

"I am not sorry to hear that I won't need to deal with that anti-clone bigot any longer," said Fox. "I have been trying to have Zimmerman promoted and improve the conditions for the Underworld police. With your recommendation, General, I will be able to do so. Now as for why this attack was staged, I believe-" just then, a transmission came through on Fox's headset. "What is it corporal?" asked the commander. "What?! I will inform the Generals immediately." He then disconnected and turned to Master Zey. "Sir, Dr. Uthan has been rescued from prison."

"What!?" exclaimed Zey. "Send out an alert to all commands. Send a message to the scientist who developed a countermeasure for Damotite, tell him he has new work to do."

"Who is Doctor Uthan?" asked Obi-Wan.

"Doctor Ovolot Qail Uthan is a Separatist scientist who tried to create a biological weapon that only kills clone troopers," said Zey.

"What?!" asked Obi-Wan. "How come we haven't heard about this woman sooner?"

"She was captured by Omega Squad on their first mission, on some worthless little farm planet owned by the Trade Federation," answered Zey. "We had neutralized the threat."

"I thought Omega Squad was on Geonosis," said Ahsoka.

"They were but they were all part of different squads," replied Zey. "Omega Squad was made up of the sole survivors of four different squads. Also, Corr wasn't a member at the time, he replaced a man called Fi."

"Did this Fi die on the mission?" asked Obi-Wan, who was surprised to hear that Clone Commandos had taken heavy casualties early in the war.

"Fi survived the mission and numerous others, before being rendered comatose and hospitalized later on," answered Zey. "The records say he died of his injuries a short time after. But enough of that, if Uthan has escaped, she is the greatest threat to the Republic right now. If she succeeds, we will lose the war."

"I understand," said Obi-Wan. "Where was she being kept?"

"The spooks at Intelligence had her carted off to Valorum's nuthouse," said Zey.

"What?!" exclaimed Obi-Wan. "If what you said was true, she should have been treated as a prisoner of war."

"Indeed she should have, but they decided that stuffing her in an area where she would just be one of many people to have a ridiculous story would be more convenient," agreed Zey. "Never mind that it was much less secure and a public place, but as director of special forces, Isard feels no need to inform me of anything or listen to my advice." Obi-Wan nodded in understanding of Zey's predicament. Armand Isard was the head of all Republic Intelligence and very hard to work with. He also had a massive dislike of Jedi, which didn't help matters. In addition, he had a tendency to bring his daughter, Ysanne, to observe him work, as if he wanted her to replace him. Ysanne had never talked in Obi-Wan's presence, but she was always observing him with a blank stare from those multi-colored eyes, being rather unnerving in his presence.

"Look on the bright side," said Anakin. "Now you can rightfully lecture Isard about his behavior. Anyway, where is this Asylum?"

Thirty minutes later…

After learning the location of the asylum, Ahsoka, Anakin, and Obi-Wan departed for the asylum where Uthan had been kept. Upon arriving, Ahsoka saw several figures she hadn't expected to see.

"Sergeant Skirata," she greeted the leader. "I wasn't expecting to see you here. I thought you were dealing with family problems."

"I have been," answered the Mandalorian. "Things have been going better between me and my sons than I thought, though I am surprised by some of the things they have been doing since I last saw them. My daughter is far more accommodating than I thought she would be as well. Unfortunately, my family reunion will have to wait. With Uthan out there, every clone I have trained is now in danger. Since Ordo, Mereel, and Jaing were in between assignments, they decided to help out." He then gestured towards the three Null ARC Troopers behind him. The one in the front with the captain's rank insignia walked forward and saluted.

"It is nice to see you again, General Tano," said Ordo. "General Skywalker, General Kenobi, I am ARC Captain N-11, though I would prefer to be called Ordo."

"Ahsoka told us about you," said Obi-Wan. "She said you were a skilled, reliable, and trustworthy soldier. She also said you were a little temperamental."

"If you are worried I might compromise this assignment, I will not, General," replied Ordo. "But right now we need to focus on the task at hand. We should probably start by investigating the Asylum itself."

"Obi-Wan, we can worry about Ahsoka's friends later," said Anakin. "He is right that we should go in and begin the investigation." Obi-Wan quietly relented and decided to follow Anakin and Ahsoka into the building with their new allies. Inside was a middle-aged administrator.

"All of this for one escaped patient?" asked the man. "This is a little much, don't you think?"

"The patient is a grave threat to the security of the Republic," stated Skirata. "As long as she is free, she will-"

"Oh, of course, I forgot," said the administrator. "Well, Uthan might not be a real doctor but she definatly has the potential to fulfill her fantasies. Unless, her ramblings were actually true? I admit, hearing her go on and on about how she was a brilliant scientist who was devising a way to defeat the clone army before being kidnapped from a farm planet made me wonder if she was really insane. The fact that her story remained absolutely consistent throughout her time here has only fueled such suspicion."

"That would make her a prisoner of war, so imprisoning her here would be illegal under Republic law," stated Skirata. "No, Uthan is just a crazy woman who happens to be a very skilled scientist who was removed from society because she can actually make her delusions come true."

"If you say so," said the administrator, who clearly didn't believe what he had heard. "Well, her room is over this way, so follow me." The Jedi and their four new additions to the team followed the administrator. The Jedi, however, did not enjoy being in this building. In addition to being dark and dreary, there were countless patient's rooms which they walked past. Some were quite happy in their delusions, others were extremely miserable, and most were quite scared that their hallucinations would actually hurt them. The huge contrast of emotions permeating the building made it a terrible place for a Force sensitive, especially a trained one. Ahsoka doubted an Iktotchi or Quermian, both naturally telepathic races, would enjoy being here either, being forced to listen to all the insane thoughts around them. Beneath it all, however, Ahsoka sensed something out of place. As she walked past a patient's room, she felt that the occupant was sane and possessing coherent thoughts.

"Who is in here?" asked Obi-Wan, sensing it as well.

"I don't know why you are concerned with him," stated the administrator. "He was committed by his father after killing his mother. Why do you ask?"

"I want to speak to him," said Obi-Wan.

"Why?" asked the administrator.

"Humor him," insisted Anakin. The administrator acquiesced and opened the door. Inside the room was a man who looked like he hadn't showered or shaved in over a month. He instantly covered his eyes, shielding them from the light.

"What is your name?" asked Obi-Wan.

"Hanis Starr," the man answered.

"Why were you committed?" asked Anakin.

"My father wanted me to take over his cargo business but I wanted to join the Navy," said Starr. "We got into an argument and he shoved me back. I bumped into my mother and she fell down the stairs, breaking her neck. He bribed the investigators to go along with his story and sent me here two months ago to convince me to do what he wanted. I have repeatedly asked for a psychological evaluation to prove I am sane but this Murglak has always denied my requests."

"When someone is sent here, we do not hold evaluations for a whole year," interjected the administrator. "The people here are usually suicidal or extremely violent. Our primary duty, after all, is containment, not therapy. The paperwork for this man is in order, so he will stay here until he is cured." Skirata was notably angered by how this man didn't seem interested in helping his patients. None of the Jedi were happy about it either.

"He seems perfectly sane to me," said Anakin. "I think that merits a proper evaluation."

"I agree, I will have him evaluated by a proper physician," said Obi-Wan. The Administrator was about to say something before Obi-Wan cut him off. "Unless you want to be investigated for malpractice, you will allow this." The administrator relented as Obi-Wan arranged an appointment for Starr with an actual therapist. After delegating Jaing to guard the patient, they continued toward Uthan's cell. As they walked down the hallway, they heard indistinct muttering from a nearby cell.

"Generals, you go on ahead," said Skirata. "I want to check out something. I won't be long." The three Jedi nodded and the Mandalorian walked over to the cell where the muttering was coming from. Eventually, they arrived at the cell Uthan had been staying in. It was filthy and Soka Flies flittered about.

"Why are those bugs in here?" asked Anakin.

"She bred the flies to keep herself busy," answered the administrator. "It never hurt anything and it kept her rants down to a minimum, so we let her do it."

"Obi-Wan, I don't think we will find any clues to where Uthan went in here," said Anakin.

"I agree, we would be better off trying to track her ship, impossible as it may be," Obi-Wan agreed. The three Jedi walked back the way they came, and found Skirata talking with a very unkempt woman in a straitjacket. They were speaking a language that sounded like a variant of the Mandalorian language. Skirata then stood back up and turned to the administrator.

"She is coming with us as well," said Skirata.

"I can assure you, there is no doubt she is mentally ill," replied the man. "She reacts extremely violently towards men, which is why she is in that straitjacket. In addition, it is a confirmed fact she committed multiple murders before being caught. She is clearly sick and needs treatment."

"That is why you are going to give her to me," retorted Skirata. "I want her to be treated by people who are actually willing and able to help her. I can afford to provide such care to her and give her the help she needs."

"Unless you are a relative to her, I cannot let you remove her from this facility," stated the administrator. Skirata looked like he was about to pull a weapon or threaten the man in response.

"I am sure we can compromise," interrupted Anakin. "Sergeant, would you be willing to let her stay here if you or someone you trusted stayed to personally ensure that the conditions here improve and that the patients are given the treatment they require and the care they need?"

"I have enough money to spare the cost of refurbishing this place and hiring staff that will actually do their jobs," answered the Mandalorian. "If this _Chakaar_ tries to steal from me, though, I will kill him."

"There is no need to worry, Mr. Skirata," said the Administrator, now a bit nervous. "I am perfectly willing to accept such a generous donation and I am an honest man. Whatever else you might think of me, I am not a thief."

"For your sake, I hope you are," replied Skirata. "One of my friends is a medical doctor and is between jobs right now. I have already called him and has agreed to my request for him to take charge of this asylum. He will tell me everything he learns here and does not like it when people lie to him. His name is Mij Gilamar and he will arrive tomorrow. If you have something to say to him, you should tell him immediately. He has a similar temperament to my own and deals out similar punishments."

"You should believe him," Ahsoka chimed in. "Dr. Gilamar has chosen the same profession Sergeant Skirata has and is just as good a fighter."

"I will not do anything to betray their trust, General," said the Administrator. He then turned away and walked off. Ahsoka walked up to Skirata.

"Why has this patient caught your attention?" she asked him.

"Walking past her, I heard what sounded like a Mandalorian dialect," said Skirata. "I asked her who she was and where she was from. She is from a frontier agrarian world called Concord Dawn, which was settled by Mandalorians almost a thousand years ago. Her name, is Arla Fett, older sister to Jango."

**I wanted to get out a new chapter before The Force Awakens comes out. Everyone have fun watching the new movie and Merry Christmas.**


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

It was already nighttime when the Sith Infiltrator arrived on Gibad. The spaceport was packed with countless people from a variety of different species. Narrisa had wanted to land at a private landing spot, or even at the lab itself, but the government of the planet didn't see the need to grant such a request. They said something about proper procedures but Narrisa didn't care, she just wanted to get this over with as soon as possible. Uthan was directing the loading of the lab equipment onto a speeder truck. As soon as that was finished, they would be off to the building requisitioned as their lab.

"Qail?" said a voice a short distance away. Uthan turned around to see a woman with brown hair and yellow eyes.

"Nyla?" replied Uthan. At that moment, the woman called Nyla ran up to Uthan and hugged her.

"I thought you were dead," said Nyla breathlessly.

"I was captured and they stuffed me in an asylum, seemingly for the purpose of punishing me," replied Uthan. "The only reason I got out at all, is because of my new friend," she turned around and gestured toward Narrisa.

"Thank you for rescuing my cousin from that hell!" Nyla said to Narrisa. "You have my deepest gratitude."

"You're welcome," said Narrisa. "I must ask you not to inform anyone else of our arrival."

"But Qail's parents haven't seen her in over two years," said Nyla.

"I want to see them as well Nyla, but if my presence is known the Republic will come after me," Uthan explained. "After my work is completed and the Confederacy wins the war, I will join my parents during the celebration. But until then, this needs to remain our secret."

"I understand," said Nyla. Narrisa would have preferred to kill Nyla and be done with the threat of exposure, but she knew that would only anger Uthan, so she resolved to stay her lightsaber, at least for now. She should have paid more attention to her surroundings than Nyla, however. If she had, she might have noticed the woman with tan-skin, blonde hair, and piercing green eyes that was observing them. The woman had heard Nyla greet her cousin and decided to listen in on it. Recognizing the woman with the two cousins, she quickly walked away and boarded the ship her friends were holding for her.

"A little late, Hallena," said the pilot as he flew the ship out of the atmosphere. "Why would you prolong our time here? The Separatists do not like our kind."

"I recognized someone," said Hallena Devis. "We will not be returning to Master Altis just yet. A change in plans- we shall be going to Coruscant."

"While the locals won't try to murder us, I doubt we will receive a warm welcome there either," said the pilot.

"The person we are going to is an old friend," said Hallena. "Ahsoka Tano will be perfectly happy to see me."

Back on Coruscant…

Ahsoka was a little shocked to learn that Jango Fett, the genetic template for the Clone army, had a sister. More shocking was the fact his sister resided in an insane asylum. The woman, named Arla, was about fifty-three years old, had numerous scars on her body, and what appeared to be a brand on her shoulder. Skirata had delegated Ordo to watch over her while he went to ask several questions of the administrator, named Walder Nestoris. After a short time talking to the man, he returned to his companions.

"Well, I suppose you are all surprised by this," said Skirata. "No use in looking up a dead man's past life and family here."

"There is no need to be a jerk about it," said Obi-Wan. "I knew Jango Fett was the leader of a mercenary company that was mostly wiped out on a planet called Galidran, but I couldn't find much else about him."

"Well, I learned he came from farm planet called Concord Dawn," Skirata said. "It was settled thousands of years ago by Mandalorians and its people have a distinctly Mandalorian-like culture. About forty years ago, a group of space faring Mandalorians decided it would be their mission to conquer the galaxy. They became known as the Death Watch, led by Tor Vizsla, who was much nastier than his grandson Pre. Tor killed Jango's parents while looking for his rival, Jaster Mereel. Jaster rescued Jango from the same fate and became his foster father. It was assumed Arla was murdered as well. Turns out Vizsla and the creeps who followed him took her as a prize, given how they marked her." Skirata gestured to the burn on her shoulder which appeared to be in the shape of the Death Watch symbol. Ahsoka felt a sick feeling in her stomach at the thought of what Arla must have gone through during her captivity.

"How did she end up here?" asked Anakin.

"After a while, she came to see Death Watch as her protectors and friends," answered Skirata. "So she started killing for them. After killing several people at their behest, they abandoned her. She then went on a rampage against men, who she has come to associate with her pain. There is a reason why she is the only person here in a straitjacket."

"Can your friend really help her when he gets here?" asked Anakin.

"Gilamar is a doctor who has a lot of experience talking to soldiers plagued with nightmares," answered Skirata. "I will be paying for several trained psychiatrists to come here and work at the asylum."

"I didn't know training clones paid so well," said Obi-Wan.

"I have been doing so for ten years, and the training I provide is rather specialized," said Skirata. "Also, I have kept my eye out for profitable investments even before I went to Kamino. With time and patience, the money really stacks up."

"How will you know where to find these psychiatrists?" asked Ahsoka.

"Ordo has come up with a list of psychiatrists who are available for this job," answered Skirata. "Mij will interview each of them while this place is getting upgraded. He will then decide who gets the jobs, because I don't have any experience with this sort of thing."

"This is all very admirable, but we need to get back to the search for Narrisa," Anakin said. "The place most likely to know where she went would be the Air Traffic Control center."

"Agreed," said Obi-Wan. "Sergeant, I admit that Jango's past is very interesting but right now, we need to focus on finding Uthan." Skirata nodded and followed them outside to the speeder. Ordo and Jaing stayed behind to guard Arla and Starr. A short flight later, they arrived at the Air Traffic Control tower for that sector. Upon entering, they proceeded up the stairs to the top. When they opened the doors, they saw all the controllers had been murdered and the monitors were smashed. If Ahsoka had to hazard a guess, she would say that a grenade had been tossed in there.

"I am afraid you are late to the party, Master Jedi," said a voice coming from the doorway. It was Armand Isard, director of Republic Intelligence.

"I'm surprised you came here, Director," said Obi-Wan. "This doesn't seem like the sort of thing you should be concerned with."

"Typical Jedi, tactical tunnel vision," Isard replied. "This was one of the prime targets of a terrorist attack, so of course it concerns me."

"You might be more concerned about how your secret prisoner was discovered," Ahsoka retorted. "Of course, it might have something to do with how you kept her at a place accessible to the general public with inadequate security."

"It was an experiment," insisted Isard. "If Uthan remained undiscovered for more than a year, other prominent Separatists were to be considered for institutionalization."

"That would be a thorough violation of their rights as prisoners of war," pointed out Ahsoka. "Furthermore, the security against escape or rescue is inadequate for such dangerous individuals!"

"Indeed, I agree," said Anakin. "Your logic for such an experiment doesn't make much sense." Before Isard could say anything, Ahsoka's comlink started beeping.

"General Tano, there is someone down here who says she's an old friend of yours," said Mereel on the other end. "She says it's very important you speak with her." "Excuse me, Master." Ahsoka left, and went downstairs to meet this person. Upon exiting, she saw a woman who looked vaguely familiar.

"General Tano, I'm not sure if you remember me," started the woman. "It was one and a half years ago on a planet called JanFathal."

"Oh, yes I do remember you," said Ahsoka. "Your name is Hallena Devis. You were a spook whose cover was blown. The captain of the ship I was on was your boyfriend, so he diverted our flight path to rescue you before the Federation arrived. I thought you were with Callista and Altis's sect."

"I was, but I have been keeping up with the news and progress of the war," answered Devis. "I was just on Gibad, picking up some supplies for Altis, when I overheard a woman greeting her cousin whom apparently had been presumed dead for two years. The cousin's name was Qail and she was accompanied by a woman who matched the description of Narrisa Dansitius." Ahsoka was shocked, she couldn't believe how she was learning of Uthan's location through sheer luck.

"Thank you, Hallena, this is very helpful news. By the way, if you are interested, Captain Pellaeon is on leave at a bar called-"

"Devis!" shouted Isard, who had walked out. "First you go off on your own little vacation for two years, now you are reporting your findings to unauthorized personnel?!"

"Director Isard, I have already tended my resignation, so I am not obliged to report what I learn to anyone," said Devis.

"Your resignation was never accepted!" Isard again yelled. "You are now under arrest for desertion and for revealing classified information to-"

"Knock it off, Isard," said Anakin. "Unless you would rather have me request to the Chancellor an inquiry be opened about your disregard for safety procedure and fair treatment of prisoners."

Isard, realizing he couldn't win this fight, backed down. "Fine," he said. "But you haven't heard the end of this, Devis. You will regret what you have done," and he stormed away.

"Guys, let me introduce Hallena Devis," said Ahsoka. "She's an old friend and she just discovered that Narrisa and Uthan are on Gibad!"

**I hope you are had a Merry Christmas and I wish you all a happy New Year. For those of you wondering what adventure Hallena is from, it is from Karen Miller's No Prisoners, in which Hallena was a spy infiltrating a group of Pro-Separatist Communists whose cover was blown and her boyfriend, EU Favorite Gilad Pellaeon, diverted his ship to extract her from hostile territory and since Ahsoka was onboard, she volunteered to lead the rescue mission. Also, I know Hallena arrived rather fast but I decided to speed things along a bit.**


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

After learning where Narrisa and Uthan were, Ahsoka and the others headed back to Arca Barracks. The bizarre team rushed inside and ran into General Zey. After recounting what they had learned, they moved into the briefing room to plan their next move.

"The city closest to where Uthan landed is here," said Zey, pointing to an area on the holomap. "It is called Koliverin and it has a massive Separatist military base. It is the most likely place where Uthan is hiding. There is a substantial droid presence and it can easily call for reinforcements if necessary. The size of the city will also make it hard to locate her and her laboratory."

"First we need to get onto the planet," said Anakin. "I suggest that we attach our ship to one of those superfreighters constantly landing and taking off from that planet, then detach in the atmosphere and land in the wilderness right here, outside the city."

"Anakin, that is extremely reckless and borderline-"Obi-Wan started before he was interrupted.

"It is the only plan that could work in such circumstances," said Zey. "It isn't like we haven't come up with risky infiltration plans before. There are many dilapidated ships I could give you to accomplish this task but I am sure Sergeant Skirata can provide you with a more suitable ship, that won't fall apart on the way, and can take off again as well. Perhaps the ship you used for that scuba diving expedition."

"You went scuba diving?" Obi-Wan asked Skirata.

"I was going through a phase," Skirata brushed it off. "I am surprised you are giving this mission to us."

"Omega Squad will accompany you," said Zey. At that moment, the entirely black-armored Clone Commando squad walked in through the door.

"Nice to see you again, General Tano," said Niner, who saluted her. "It looks like we are about to relive this squad's first mission."

"Not entirely, as we don't know Uthan's exact location," said Zey. "Your first task is to infiltrate this building." He pointed to the map, then zoomed in on a medium sized tower. "This is the Koliverin Hall of Records. It contains a list of every building in the city and who occupies it. While Uthan won't have listed the building she has requisitioned under her own name, she will need a very specific type of building to serve as her lab."

"So once we acquire the records, we just need to narrow it down to buildings that fit the criteria and how long ago they were occupied," said Anakin.

"Indeed, General Skywalker," confirmed Zey. "But this is also a stealth mission. We can't let anything tip off Uthan or Dansitius, so you will need to be cautious and not let anything happen there. That means no killing any employees, no destroying any furniture and definatly not the whole building. You can choose who will go on this stealth mission after you arrive. Also, if you are taking that flying sub of yours, Sergeant Skirata, I would suggest you hide in this lake, right here." He pointed to a large lake outside the city boundaries. "It is nine hundred feet deep, there are no large animals down there, and no one goes exploring it anyway."

"I take it we don't have time to do any simulated infiltrations of this building either, sir," said Darman.

"No, Corporal, you don't," said Zey. "I know Jedi aren't supposed to believe in luck but I wish you good luck regardless."

"Sir, under the circumstances, I think it would be best if we had two additional Katarn-class commando suits," Ordo spoke up.

"May I ask why, captain?" asked Zey.

"Right now, Uthan is probably just fooling around with various toxins that are harmful to all humans, clone or not," answered Ordo. "I think it is necessary that General Kenobi and General Skywalker receive proper protection from any toxins that are in the lab."

"I appreciate your concern, Captain Ordo, but Jedi can hold their breath for very long periods of time," said Obi-Wan.

"I know sir, but some toxins can be absorbed through the skin," said Ordo. "The timeframe between infection and death will likely be too short for us to administer any antidotes, not that we would have access to any."

"Obi-Wan, I agree with Ordo," said Anakin. "Under the circumstances I would rather have protection than speed."

"Oh, very well," said Obi-Wan. "But what about Ahsoka?"

"I'm not sure if any toxins in that lab will affect Togrutas but I will bring my space suit and helmet in the event that there are such toxins," said Ahsoka. "I will be perfectly safe as a result."

In Koliverin, Gibad…

"Hurry up, you useless droids!" shouted Narrisa as the B2 battle droids set up the automated turrets. Narrisa had taken charge of security for Uthan's lab. She would have preferred to have a minefield at every possible entrance but it was in the middle of a city and could easily complicate the situation. Besides, the sight of fellow Gibadans exploding and their parts and fluids raining down on the street would be rather distracting to Uthan. In addition to the physical security, Narrisa also needed to worry about the various scientists being brought in as assistants to Uthan. Uthan was getting them all up to speed on the project and what would be expected of them. Uthan had already supervised the installation of the equipment in the lab. Narrisa had looked into the minds of the various scientists while they slept, so they wouldn't know, and none of them had any treacherous intent. However, she couldn't help but feel like trouble was heading their way. Maybe it was the Force telling her something or maybe she was just cautious. Either way, she couldn't shake the feeling of it.

The Aay'han, in hyperspace…

"Are you sure this is a good idea, General Skywalker?" asked Skirata. Skirata had heard of Anakin's skill as a pilot but he couldn't help feeling nervous. After all, the ship's hyperdrive wasn't engaged, it was riding like an unseen parasite on a much larger superfreighter all the way to the Gibad. It they came loose before the arrival, they would never be able to get back out of hyperspace.

"As long as the magnetic clamps on our landing gear hold, we will be fine," Anakin said. "The real challenge is the part where we need to drop off the freighter into the atmosphere, turning the engines on at the last possible moment, flying low enough to avoid radar, and landing in that lake without dying horribly."

"Master, he is already nervous enough," said Ahsoka, who was serving as copilot. "You don't need to point out everything else."

"He asked, didn't he?" Anakin replied. Before the conversation could continue, the freighter they were hitchhiking on, dropped out of hyperspace. From the viewport, they could see that they had arrived at Gibad. Surveying the space around them, Obi-Wan looked up from the sensor station.

"There are only a pair of Lucrehulk-class battleships and a trio of Munificent-class frigates orbiting the planet, with the expected fighter escort," Obi-Wan announced.

"You mean cargo ships with battleship-level armament," said Skirata. "Lucrehulks are improvised warships and their performance illustrates that."

"Keep it down, guys," said Anakin. "I am in the middle of making sure we aren't detected. Ahsoka, cut the engines to a quarter power." Ahsoka obeyed and Anakin gently coaxed the Aay'han off the much larger freighter. "Cut the power entirely now," he instructed. Ahsoka obeyed and the ship's engines cut out entirely. She also disabled the artificial gravity, as while the amount of heat generated from the gravity systems was miniscule, heat detection systems had become more advanced and they didn't want to chance detection. Thankfully, everyone had sat down in their chairs and engaged their restraints, while all the loose objects had been safely secured. As a result, the Aay'han was almost entirely invisible to the primarily heat-based sensors of the surrounding ships.

"Hang on, we are entering the atmosphere!" Anakin announced. The ship had been coated with an extra layer of protective covering for the shieldless entry into Gibad's atmosphere. Even so, for a moment it looked like they would burn up in the atmosphere. Thankfully, Ahsoka turned the ray shields back on. The plummet to the planet seemed endless, as if they would only stop when they hit the ground and shatter into a thousand pieces.

"Now, Ahsoka!" shouted Anakin when they were at three thousand feet. The engines screamed as they turned back on. Anakin wrestled with the controls to stop the ship from smashing into the ground. They almost crashed but Anakin was able to regain control and land the aquatic vessel in the lake they had chosen as their hiding place.

"Ballast tanks are open, we are submerging," said Skirata. Soon after, they had drifted below the surface. Hopefully the air traffic control thought they were simply a small meteor which burned up before landing, and no one had seen or heard them flying to the lake in the early morning. When they hit the bottom, they went to the ship lounge in order to plan their next move.

"The building we need to go to is here," said Skirata, pointing to an area on the map of the nearby city. "If Uthan is in this city, that building will point us to her. Unfortunately, as Zey pointed out, we need to be stealthy about infiltrating it."

"I'll go," said Ahsoka. "I can crawl through the vents and sense anyone coming while I'm inside."

"Ahsoka, are you sure it is a good idea to go it alone?" asked Obi-Wan. "After all, your slicing skills are a little rusty."

"I can give her a crash course in what she needs to do," said Ordo. "She sneaks into the city, infiltrates the building, downloads recent building transactions, and sneaks back. Then, we start planning the next phase of the operation."

"You can do it, Ahsoka," reassured Anakin. "You are a Jedi Knight now."

"Well, since the plan is settled, it looks like the infiltration will happen tomorrow night," said Skirata. "Until then, General Tano, Ordo will teach you everything you need to know about slicing.

**Happy New Year, everyone, I am finally back. For those of you who watched Rising Malevolence, you will know that the heroes turned off every electronic device to avoid detection apart from the Droid Doctor and the Artificial Gravity. Of course, they were detected by the signal emanating from that droid. Also, since Space Is Cold, it seems likely that most ship sensors are based on Radar and Thermal Imaging. Apparently the reason why Anakin and Padme landed on Geonosis undetected was because Anakin turned off the Ray shields, which protect from heat and radiation, letting the ground technicians think their ship was a meteor. The only way that would be possible would be if chrome plating is amazingly heat-resistant, given how the Invisible Hand caught on fire when it entered Coruscant's atmosphere. Anakin and Obi-Wan probably only survived because the ship was so big it couldn't catch on fire as well as because of those firefighters.**


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

After spending several hours learning the subtleties of slicing, Ahsoka rested for a few more hours before her nighttime infiltration of the Hall of Records. After nightfall, the Aay'han quietly surfaced long enough for Ahsoka to exit and swim to shore. Seeing a nearby highway, Ahsoka walked over and, as soon as a speeder bus was zooming towards her, she jumped onto the roof and held on tight. Using her telepathy, Ahsoka sensed that none of the passengers, nor the driver, had realized she had jumped onboard. The ride continued for another half hour, with Ahsoka remaining absolutely still in order to avoid detection. As soon as the bus entered the city, Ahsoka got up and jumped onto a nearby rooftop. She soon started jumping across each of the buildings, careful to avoid the sight of both onlookers and droids below. Eventually, she saw the Hall of Records, a tall building with many bright lights surrounding it. Thankfully, there weren't any droids guarding the entrance, just a bald security guard who looked as old as Skirata, lazily watching several security monitors, briefly lifting his eyes off the magazine he was looking at, to open the gate and wish a departing employee good night. Clearly the Separatists didn't attach any value to this building. That would make infiltration all the easier. Ahsoka silently jumped over the guard shack and evaded the lights around the building. Spotting an air vent, she came up to it and pulled off the cover. Squeezing inside, she crawled through to the elevator shaft, coming out between the two elevators. Positioning herself carefully, she jumped onto a rising elevator, careful to crouch when it stopped at the second to highest floor. As soon as the passengers disembarked, she crawled through the vent right above the ceiling. Looking into the hallway, she could see that the passengers were just clerks who had likely worked there even before the war. She wouldn't have anything to worry about. After finding a place where she could exit the ventilation system, she silently dropped to the floor. Evading the sight of the record's employees, she found a terminal. Ahsoka inserted the computer spike that Ordo had given to her. After about three minutes, the building records had been downloaded. Shortly afterward, however, she heard an explosion coming from below. An explosion on the floor she was on immediately followed, destroying the elevators. Realizing the building couldn't last much longer, Ahsoka ran towards the stairwell, surprising one of the clerks. Before the woman could say anything, the floor beneath her collapsed, sending her screaming to her fiery doom. Ahsoka jumped down the stairwell, using the Force to cushion her impact at the bottom. The young Togruta then rushed out the nearest door, avoiding being crushed by the collapsing ceiling. Seeing a platoon of battle droids approaching, she jumped behind some nearby bushes and hid herself from the approaching droids. Looking toward the entrance of the building, she saw a group of droids standing at there, shooting anyone who tried to come out. She then saw an all too familiar figure, impaling the guard at the gate with her lightsaber.

"My lady, I calculate that all employees of the records hall have been killed by the flames," said a Tactical Droid to his mistress.

"Good," said Narrisa Dansitius, who tossed the corpse of the murdered security guard into the flames. "Now back to base before the fire department gets here."

"Yes, Lady Dansitius," said the droid, who boarded a troop transport along with the other battle droids. As soon as Narrisa was back onboard, the transport sped away. Ahsoka was disgusted at what had just happened. Clearly Narrisa had decided to destroy any record of the location of the lab, along with anyone who might remember it, and decided to fake a gas explosion in order to do so. Unfortunately, she couldn't do anything for them now, so she ran away from the burning building before the local fire department arrived. Once again moving across the rooftops out of sight, she saw a speeder bus leaving the city and heading in the direction of the lake the Aay'han was hiding in. She jumped onto the roof of the bus, cushioning her fall with the Force and quieting her impact so she sounded like a rock just bouncing off of the vehicle. It was another thirty minutes before they passed by the lake where the Aay'han was moored. Ahsoka jumped off and landed in the grass by the road. Once she had arrived at the water's edge, she pressed a button on her wristcom, sending a signal to the submersible that she had come back and it was clear to surface. Immediately after the signal was sent, the sub surfaced. Ahsoka used the Force to leap from the shore through the hatch that had just opened. As soon as she was inside, the hatch closed and the ship submerged again.

"Did you get the records, Ahsoka?" asked Anakin.

"Yes, and just in time," she answered. "Narrisa decided to burn down the records building and kill all its employees in order to hide Uthan's location."

"What?" asked Skirata, rather surprised by this revelation. "I know the Seps are ruthless but doesn't that cause more trouble for them than its worth?"

"The public will be told it was a gas leak or something," said Ahsoka. "When the Separatists decide to cover their tracks, they are rarely subtle about it."

"That became clear when Dooku came to murder Silman and Lom Pyke personally," said Anakin. "Unfortunately, there is nothing more we can do for their victims except avenge them. We need to start sifting through all the files you downloaded if we are going to find Uthan." Knowing Anakin was right, the team moved into the conference room to analyze the files. For the next several hours, they proceeded to sift through the data stolen from the records building. Eventually, they had narrowed it down to three choices: a building on the droid army base, a recently renovated building that had previously been used as a droid factory, and an abandoned pharmaceutical lab. Obi-Wan thought that it was the droid factory, the most inconspicuous of the locations. Anakin thought that it was the one at the Separatist base, which was undoubtedly the best defended. Ahsoka remembered that Narrisa had ordered the droids "back to base" but knew that it didn't necessarily mean they were at the military base. However, she knew that Narrisa was never subtle and definitely not trying to be, so she concluded the military base was the most likely location for the lab to be. Even so, they would need to be absolutely sure, so they decided to observe each of the sights while incognito in order to be sure of the lab's location. Skirata volunteered, as he was rather inconspicuous without his armor. He wore a hidden surveillance camera capable of seeing through thin walls, so the team on the ship could see everything he saw. First he went to the former droid factory. It had been turned into an office building for some holomarketer. Going inside, he saw nothing to indicate that it was hiding anything. The camera didn't pick up anything either. Then he went to investigate the abandoned pharmaceutical building. Just as he arrived at the abandoned building, it was rocked with explosions, sending the abandoned building crashing down. Looking around, he saw several construction vehicles parked about. Clearly this was being demolished in place of something new. That left only the military base, which he couldn't scout on his own, so he headed back to the ship. After using a speeder, which he had stolen from a dead terrorist to return to the lake, he waited until it was night before the ship surfaced for him. Anakin and Obi-Wan had spent most of the time training how to use the Katarn commando armor that had been requisitioned for them. Obi-Wan had complained about how it would inhibit their movement but he recognized that not using it would be stupid given how they would be in an area with toxic chemicals. They had decided the infiltration of the facility would be at night and that Skirata would stay with the ship so they would be able to take off at a moment's notice. He had wanted them to take his Verpine Shatter Guns to be used as sniper rifles but Anakin pointed out that ballistic rounds would only dent super battle droids and it would take either a headshot or two body shots on a regular battle droid to kill it and would likely cause more noise than a blaster. Skirata started going on about how much money he had spent on upgrading them but Ordo pointed out that Anakin was right and that they would be better off sticking to blasters. Ahsoka had donned her spacesuit to protect her from any airborne toxins. It would have been preferable to have a suit of armor but there wasn't enough time to make the suit, much less a Togruta specific helmet that would complete the protective cover, so she was forced to make do with what she had.

After waiting for the sun to set, the three Jedi, four commandos, and the Null ARC trooper took a speeder truck to the outskirts of the city. Ordo stayed behind with the truck so they would be able to flee very quickly. After departing, the team stealthy crossed through various alleys, always being careful that no one was around when they did so. They were almost spotted by a policeman who was immediately shot by Darman with his DC-15s heavy pistol, which was thankfully equipped with a suppressor so no one heard it. They proceeded to hide the corpse in a dumpster before moving on. When they were closer to the base, a pedestrian walked rather close to the alley the team was hiding in, clearly suspicious. Niner looked like he was about to use his gauntlet vibroblade to stab the man, but Obi-Wan grabbed the man first and used the Force to make the man fall asleep. He then hid the unconscious civilian in the shadows.

"I understand that we need to make compromises for the greater good," said Obi-Wan. "But he was an unarmed civilian and we should take care to ensure we don't harm such people."

"Understood General," said Niner. After five more minutes of sneaking through the city, they arrived at the outside of the base. Skirata had wanted to get a closer look until one of the droids came up to him and threatened to kill him if he didn't back away. As a result, the team would need to improvise. Anakin saw a speeder truck moving away from the base. Noticing that it was being driven by a human instead of a droid, he snuck up to it. He leaned up and said something to the driver before rushing back into the shadows.

"What did you just do?" asked Obi-Wan. Before Anakin could answer, the speeder truck reversed at very high speed back through the entrance to the base, crashing into a group of parked vehicles and exploding rather violently, setting off a chain reaction of explosions that spread throughout the base. The droid recharging station exploded as well, wiping out an entire company of droids that were sitting there. The explosions also destroyed many of the droids that were online as well, greatly diminishing the resistance they would be facing.

"Never mind," said Obi-Wan. "Were you even paying attention to what I was saying five minutes ago?"

"He was a Separatist soldier, so it was alright," offered Corr.

"Don't try being funny, you fail at it," said Darman. "Generals, we should head for the enemy lab immediately while things are still confused." Realizing that the commando had a point, the Jedi rushed toward the wrecked base entrance with the clones following close behind. Blasting through the few remaining functioning droids, they knew they had only a limited amount of time before reinforcements, in one shape or other, would arrive.

**Sorry for being a little late, I have been occupied. Also, sorry for the laziness. I know the way they breached the perimeter was silly but I couldn't think of anything else. Finally, I am not sure how big the Aay'han is but I included the speeders because I couldn't think of anything better to use.**


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

The explosion had destroyed much of the base's security force but there were still many battle droids and Gibadan soldiers on the outside. Thankfully, they proved to be no match for the combined team of the Clone Commandos and Jedi Generals. Any Separatist that didn't flee fast enough was blown to pieces, or shot trying to flee. After they reached the laboratory, Ahsoka started cutting through the doors with her lightsabers while the others kept on lookout for reinforcements. While that was going on, Darman and Corr set up several proximity mines close to what was left of the entrance. After Ahsoka cut through the door, the seven-member team split up. Niner and Corr would stay at the entrance to secure their way out, Darman and Atin would plant charges inside the building in order to destroy it, and Ahsoka, Anakin, and Obi-Wan would find and capture or kill Uthan. Hopefully, they could escape afterward.

Elsewhere…

Narrisa Dansitius had been meeting with the local mayor to remind him of who was in charge and that it wasn't his place to question the purpose of the influx of troops in his city. She had considered sabotaging his speeder so she wouldn't have to deal with him, but she had already taken a risk in destroying the records building and the fifty people who worked there. His death would cause more problems for her than it would solve. After ensuring that the useless bureaucrat knew his place, she was going to head back to the base when she heard a massive explosion. Shortly afterward, she sensed the presence of Ahsoka Tano in roughly the same direction as the base. She also sensed her master, Anakin Skywalker, and his own master, Obi-Wan Kenobi. She could also feel they were being accompanied by several others, most likely clone Special Forces. Knowing that she would need help, she rushed back into the mayor's office and ordered him to send all available policemen to the base. She knew it was unlikely they would be able to stop the Jedi and Clone Commandos, but hopefully they could delay them long enough for her to rally the droids and actual soldiers. They might actually have a chance of stopping the Republic team.

Back at the base…

Darman and Atin felt a huge sense of déjà vu. Not only were the two of them going inside a weapons lab to destroy it, the lab was being used by the very same scientist. This time, however, the Jedi who were helping them would be capturing her while they focused on destroying the building. The plans to the building had revealed a large power generator in the basement. The explosive charges they were carrying would be able to detonate the power supply and completely obliterate the building. They would have preferred to bring several high-yield, high-temperature charges to be set up in the labs in order to destroy the virus on a molecular level, just like they had on their mission to Qillura. But Ahsoka had concluded that detonating of the generator would obliterate everything in the building just as well. Rushing through the building, carefully checking corners as they progressed, they made their way to the basement. All of the guards inside the building were either Gibadan soldiers or BX droid commandos. The Gibadan Separatists were easy to defeat, being inexperienced and having no armor whatsoever, with their weapons being unable to penetrate the Katarn armor. The droids, however, were much harder. Each of them could take about five hits to the torso and were deceptively fast and agile. Two of them even attacked Darman and Atin with vibroswords. Thankfully, Darman was able to deflect the slashes before knocking the droid's head off with his gauntlet blade. Atin simply bashed the second one in the chest with his rifle, knocking it flat on its back, before shooting the droid in the face. A Separatist officer then grabbed Darman from behind, causing him to drop his rifle. Darman grabbed the Gibadan's head and pulled down as hard as he could, squeezing the man's head against his shoulder. Two seconds after he did so, Darman heard a cracking sound and the man let go, dropping to the floor.

"That's what you get for not checking corners," said Atin.

"I checked my corners, what about you?" asked Darman as he picked his gun back up. While doing so, he noticed the man was still breathing, even though his neck was out of place.

"Help…me," the injured Separatist said. Before Darman could do anything, Atin stomped on the Gibadan's head, causing him to scream in pain before going silent, a pool of blood forming underneath his head. Knowing the man would have died anyway, and that criticizing his brother was pointless, Darman continued with Atin down into the basement. Rushing in, the two shot every living thing in sight. The Jedi might have disapproved of such behavior but the last time Omega squad went after Uthan, both she and her civilian assistants had fired on them with both blasters and Shatter Guns. Sure, their upgraded armor would ensure they would simply get knocked on their backs if they were hit by the surprisingly high powered slugthrowers, but they didn't want to take the chance their reinforced visors could survive such a hit, and even if they could, they would likely be inoperable and they would need to remove their helmets. Thankfully, none of the blasters fired at them came close to hitting them. As soon as they were sure there were no more hostiles in the room, Darman went up to the generator and began planting charges while Atin remained on guard for enemy reinforcements. Darman would have preferred a remote charge but they were racing against time, so he was using timed charges instead. Knowing that they would need three minutes to get back up top, he set the charges for eight minutes. After setting the countdown, he and Atin rushed out of the basement.

"Everyone, this is Darman," the explosives expert said into this comlink. "I have set the charges, it is time for exfil."

Upstairs, ten minutes earlier…

Ahsoka and the two older Jedi proceeded up the stairs. Obi-Wan iniatially hadn't thought they would need any protection and they could just use the Force to hold their breath should the toxic gases leak out. Anakin had pointed out, however, that such gases might be able to go into their skin and eyes, so it would be better to have proper protection under the circumstances. After that, Obi-Wan had considered only using the helmet and body glove but he recognized that a single tear in it could be fatal. None of the armor they had available fit Ahsoka, so she just wore her spacesuit with the helmet. They carefully searched for Uthan in the upper levels of the laboratory. Thankfully, most of the opponents they encountered were Gibadans, as most of the droids had already been destroyed by the explosions outside. The droids were clumsy and stupid but they were harder for the Jedi to detect and in a situation where danger lurked behind every corner, it was preferable that their enemies were Human. After reaching the third floor, the three Jedi departed, carefully making sure their suits were sealed before investigating the floor. Ahsoka saw a middle aged Human woman with black hair with red stripes running towards a door, clutching a Verpine shatter gun.

"There she is!" Ahsoka shouted to her Master and Obi-Wan. The two older Jedi looked in the same direction as she was looking. A moment later, the three Jedi started chasing after Uthan. They quickly smashed the door down and charged into the room where Uthan was. Inside were eight BX Commando Droids, all with vibroswords. The swords were energized, so they didn't break upon contact with lightsabers. The droids extreme agility gave the Jedi some pause but their skill ultimately won out. Obi-Wan turned to face Uthan, who fired her shatter gun. Obi-Wan raised to block the bullet, like he had countless times before, but the outcome was different than usual. The projectile did not just bounce away from the lightsaber like an energy bolt, it passed through and hit Obi-Wan in the chest, knocking him off his feet. Anakin leapt forward and cut Uthan's hand off, causing her to scream in pain as a result.

"I'm fine, Anakin," Obi-Wan said, getting back on his feet. Ahsoka looked at him, the bullet had melted and was now dripping off of Obi-Wan's armor. Obi-Wan used the Force to pull of the remaining molten metal and threw it aside.

"That was an unpleasant experience," said Obi-Wan. He then pulled out a syringe and injected Uthan with it, putting her to sleep. "That should keep her from waking up for the next several hours. I would have preferred to give her a Force suggestion but she is clearly too strong for that. Hopefully she won't suffer any brain damage from this concoction."

"Either way, we won't need to listen to her ramble about how horrible we are for the next several hours," Anakin said. "If she suffers brain damage, she at least won't be able to hurt anyone else." Before the conversation could continue, they heard Darman contact them, informing them of how he had set the charges and they needed to evacuate. Obi-Wan threw Uthan over his shoulder as the team started to rush out of the building.

At the front of the laboratory, immediately after the two teams enter…

Niner and Corr were at the entrance to secure their exfiltration. They had already contacted Ordo to get ready to extract them. They had placed several explosive charges on one of the walls in order to blast a hole for Ordo to drive through. They had also set up numerous landmines at the entrance in order to delay the response, and had set up a commandeered anti-personnel repeating blaster. Shortly after setting up the defenses, the local police force arrived. A pair of police speeder trucks, with SWAT emblazoned on the side, came in first and were blown to pieces by the anti-vehicle mines. Several more speeders of various types also made the mistake of following them, being blown apart by the minefield. Clearly the police had been ordered to disregard procedure if they went charging into the area with no precautions. Niner and Corr usually didn't have a problem with cops, given Skirata's friendship with Jaller Obrim. Unfortunately, these police were working for the Separatists. Still, Niner and Corr knew that not every cop they would be called upon to kill, was necessarily a bad person.

Shortly after the explosions, several patrol speeders rushed through the front gates. Numerous patrolmen piled out, yelling that everyone was under arrest. The two commandos didn't listen to what they were saying, opening fire with the commandeered repeater instead. Many of the policemen were cut down in the hail of blasterfire, with many others being killed when Corr opened fire with his grenade launcher, destroying their vehicles. Many of the police panicked, clearly unused to war. Within five minutes the fight, if it could be called that, was over. Shortly after the two commandos stopped firing, they heard Darman informing everyone that he had set the charges to destroy the laboratory. Hearing that, Niner opened a channel to Ordo.

"Ordo, time to come get us," Niner informed the Null.

"Got it, Ner'vod," replied Ordo over the comlink. "I'll be there in three minutes. I'll call you when it is time to blow the wall." The signal then stopped. Ninety seconds later, the group emerged from the building, with Uthan being carried over Kenobi's shoulder.

"What's with all the cops?" asked Darman, looking at the wreckage of the police vehicles.

"We already took care of most of the droids in the area, so they are sending the only forces available to stop us," concluded Ahsoka. "When is Ordo coming to pick us up?" Just then, one of the wrecked speeders exploded, and then another.

"Guys, time to blow the wall," said Ordo over the comlink. Niner pulled out the detonator and set pressed the button. The segment of the wall it was attached to exploded, clearing a way for Ordo's speeder truck. The vehicle then spun around and its side door opened.

"Get in!" shouted Ordo from the driver's seat. Anakin ran up and pushed Ordo to the shotgun position, getting behind the wheel while the others piled into the truck. As soon as everyone was onboard, Anakin drove as fast as he could, barely avoiding being blown apart by a Separatist tank that had been blasting its way through the wrecked police vehicles. He sped through the massive opening in the wall, squeezing through just as the charges detonated, destroying what was left of the base. At that moment more droid gunships appeared. It would be a perilous journey to their extraction.

**Sorry if I haven't updated in a while. Also, the technical term for hitting someone with a rifle butt is Butt Rub. Also, breaking someone's neck doesn't always instantly kill them. If you want a picture of what Darman did, watch the scene of Sandor Clegane killing Biter. I thought it would be a interesting role reversal organics were sent in to die ahead of the droids. Also, if a bullet hit a lightsaber blade, it would most likely melt while travelling at the same speed as before instead of just evaporate. In case you think the police wouldn't panic, three policemen were once put on the defensive by a Sureno (I don't remember when, it was on Gangland) who had been a Marine in Iraq. These policemen are wandering into a minefield being defended by what are essentially a pair of Green Berets.**


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29

Narrisa clung to the flying droid gunship that sped after the Republic team. She was almost grateful for the fact Skywalker was such a good driver. She had avoided being blown apart by the droid reinforcements and Uthan would have killed as well, had it not been for his efforts. Now however she ordered the gunships to hold their fire. Despite her dislike of Uthan, Narrisa recognized that the biogeneticist was the ideal person to create the Nanovirus. As such, she would only order the droid gunships to fire if she had no other choice. Instead, she dropped onto a large flatbed truck that was underneath her on the highway, along with a number of her droid commandos. One of the droids rushed to the front of the truck and threw the driver out of the cab. Normally Separatist battle droids would have protocols of restraint regarding Separatist civilians, but Narrisa had the protocols disabled so it wouldn't impede their pursuit of the Republic team. As soon as the droid was in the driver's seat, the truck accelerated, trying to reach the speeder truck the Republic team was in.

In the Republic speeder truck…

Ahsoka and Obi-Wan were in the back of the speeder truck along with most of the clones. Darman was looking out of the back window.

"Dansitius is closing on our six!" he yelled. He then fired his grenade launcher at her. Narrisa used the Force to deflect the explosive, sending it into a civilian vehicle.

"Cease fire!" ordered Obi-Wan, as he was removing the armor plates for his suit. "Narrisa will simply deflect those attacks and all we will have to show for it is dead civilians. Ahsoka and I will deal with those pursuers."

"Are you sure that is a good idea?" asked Ahsoka.

"We don't have a choice, Ahsoka, as long as those gunships and Narrisa are chasing us, we won't be able to escape," Obi-Wan pointed out. "You deal with Narrisa, I will take down those gunships. Niner, I will need your handheld grenades."

"Here they are, sir," Niner said as he handed Obi-Wan his grenade belt. Obi-Wan fastened them around him before opening the side door. Ahsoka followed him and climbed onto the roof. Using the Force, Obi-Wan leapt onto one of the gunships. Right after, Ahsoka jumped onto Narrisa's vehicle, knocking a droid onto the freeway. Without saying a word, she swung at the Zeltron, who dodged the blade. Ahsoka's heightened hearing allowed her to realize that one of droids was about to swing at her. Ahsoka dodged the attack and sliced the droid's head off. Narrisa then rushed forward and slashed at Ahsoka. Ahsoka blocked and swung her second lightsaber at Narrisa's feet but the Sith acolyte jumped out of the way, kicking Ahsoka as she did so. While that was going on, Obi-Wan was jumping from gunship to gunship, depositing his grenades and destroying the craft.

"Kal'buir, head to the RV, we'll be there in five!" shouted Ordo over the comlink.

"Roger that, Ordo," Skirata responded. While that was happening, Ahsoka again clashed blades with Narrisa. Narrisa counterattacked with a stab forward, grazing Ahsoka's shoulder. Ahsoka staggered in pain, allowing Narrisa to kick her. Ahsoka nearly fell off of the speeder truck before regaining balance. Ahsoka used the Force to throw a vibrosword at Narrisa. Narrisa ducked, the sword flying over her. Narrisa then slashed at Ahsoka's face but the Togruta was able to deflect the attack. Ahsoka thrusted forward with her right lightsaber, almost ramming it through Narrisa's head, who stepped out of the way just in time. Ahsoka slashed with her left lightsaber, intending to cut Narrisa in half but the Zeltron again stepped out of the way, only receiving a superficial cut across her abdomen. Narrisa still grunted in pain, however, allowing Ahsoka to continue her offensive. Then a trio of Magnaguards jumped onto the truck from a new gunship that had entered the fray. They swung their electrostaffs at Ahsoka, forcing her to block their attacks and allowing Narrisa to get close. Ahsoka ducked and rolled over to avoid Narrisa's diagonal slash that would have cut the Togruta in half if it had connected with her. Ahsoka slashed out the legs of one of the Magnaguards, causing it to fall off the flatbed onto the road. Ahsoka jumped back up onto her feet and brandished both of her lightsabers, facing Narrisa and the pair of surviving Magnaguards. Before either side could make a move, Ahsoka's comlink burst with activity.

"I'm coming in, get off that flatbed, General Tano!" shouted Skirata. Ahsoka jumped onto the roof of the speeder truck Anakin was driving, before a laser blast destroyed the flatbed. A short distance away, the flying submarine landed and opened its cargo door. The speeder truck sped inside and the door immediately closed behind them. The ship instantly took off again as Anakin rushed to the cockpit with Ahsoka and Obi-Wan. Anakin quickly sat in the pilot's chair and Ahsoka in the copilot's seat, while Obi-Wan took the position of navigator. Kal had been rather reluctant to give up flying the Aay'han for this mission but he recognized that the three Jedi were better pilots than he was and went to one of the quad laser turrets while Ordo and the others took position on the other three. Ahsoka diverted the deflector shields to the front of the ship, hoping that they would be able to at least dissipate the cannon fire from the enemy ships ahead of them. Despite his dislike of flying and operating starships, Obi-Wan knew that if he didn't help, they could likely lose their lives. He knew that the consequences of sustaining damage, like the last time he didn't help with running a blockade, wasn't likely to happen this time around. He was annoyed to learn there was significant military equipment installed onto a privately owned vessel, but he knew that such things were to be expected when the owner was a grizzled Mandalorian mercenary. He also knew that such modifications would likely save their lives.

The Federation and their allies had learned from their failure at Naboo and when they blockaded a planet, they would deploy their starfighters to attack unauthorized ships, as well as firing their turbolasers. While this wasn't a true blockade, the Separatist convoy would still follow procedure. True to his predictions, the fighters began bearing down towards them. Anakin started evasive maneuvers to avoid the laser fire, as well as the turbolasers from the capital ships. The clones and Skirata fired their own turrets, destroying many starfighters bearing down on the ship. Obi-Wan prepared the concussion missiles for launch as Ahsoka carefully managed power for the shields. Anakin flew along the hull of the Munificent frigate and sensed the commander was aboard, firing missiles at the bridge and obliterating it. The ship quickly went adrift and the starfighters started flying in random directions, the control signal disrupted. The other starfighters tried to pursue, their own control signal coming in fine, but with the masses of out of control starfighters, it was impossible for more than half a dozen to do so. Soon, the Aay'han jumped to hyperspace.

On Gibad…

Narrisa had jumped off of the flatbed truck before it was destroyed by the enemy starship. Knowing there was no way to recover Uthan now, she had ordered the ships above to destroy the Republic ship. Unfortunately, partly because it wasn't a proper blockade and partly because of ingenuity on the part of Ahsoka and her allies, they had escaped. Narrisa hadn't expected for the Republic to send a mission so soon, much less without Sidious knowing about it. She briefly considered the possibility that he had known, but then remembered that his plan to use Order 66 was no longer guaranteed to succeed and that he needed insurance if it wasn't followed. That just meant the Jedi hadn't bothered to inform Chancellor Palpatine of their plans and were able to keep it a secret from him. He definitely wouldn't like that. Knowing that she was only delaying the inevitable and it would be better if he heard about it from her first, she went back to the Sith Infiltrator to contact him. After powering up the comms, she waited for her master to answer. After several minutes, the Dark Lord of the Sith answered.

"What is it?" he asked in a rather sinister manner.

"Tano and her friends have taken Uthan and destroyed the lab," she said. "I do not know how they found out our location but they have escaped."

"That is… unfortunate," said Sidious. "I only moments ago learned that they had learned of your location. Apparently, someone saw you at the spaceport."

"My lord, I wanted to land at a more secure location but the air-traffic control mandated that I land at a public starport," Narrisa insisted.

"Because the circumstances were outside your control, I will overlook this," Sidious assured her. "The fact that the Jedi did not inform me is cause for concern. The task of recreating the Nanovirus is even harder now."

"Master, I copied Uthan's research notes onto this," said Narrisa, holding up a holodisk. "She didn't get very far, given how short a time she was working on it, but at least we won't have to start over completely."

"Good," said Sidious. "Begin looking for scientists who can create the Nanovirus, using the list that I gave you to find recruits."

"I will start immediately, Master," Narrisa said to him. "I will report back when I have found scientists to use." Shortly after she said that, the hologram flickered out. Narrisa then went to the front of the ship and took off, heading back to Arkannia.

**I based the chase scene off the chase in Season 9 of Red vs Blue. I wanted Narrisa to take precautions in the event of loosing the lab and Uthan. I also figured that the Trade Federation would at least learn to have starfighters as part of their blockades and diversify control of each ships' starfighters. Also, I lampshaded how Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon did nothing to help fly the royal starship (they were unfamiliar with it, sure, but they didn't do anything to help in running past the blockade.)**


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30

The Aay'han had entered hyperspace and was now several hours away from arriving at Coruscant. Doctor Uthan was now awake and her maimed arm was now being tended to by Atin, with Darman watching close by, holding his PEP pistol, and the three Jedi looking on.

"It figures that Palpatine would send his favorite Jedi after me," said Uthan rather sardonically.

"If you are wondering, the clone treating you and the one with the stun gun are the pair that captured you before on Qillura," answered Obi-Wan. "We thought we would bring along people who had dealt with you before."

"Nice to see you again, Doctor," said Darman. "I wouldn't have cut off your hand if I was there."

"Well, I suppose I should be thankful that you didn't kill me," Uthan said. "Just as well that Palpatine sent you to toss me back in that hellhole for the mental illness of recognizing the Republic's tyranny."

"Director Isard had you moved there without authorization," replied Obi-Wan. "No one knew you were there."

"Except Palpatine and his pet spy," said Uthan. "Just in character for the Coruscanticentric-"

"Save it, Uthan, we've heard it all before," interrupted Anakin. "Rest assured that the next prison you are in will be much more hospitable."

"Somehow I doubt that will be the case," said the doctor. At that moment, Skirata walked in and signaled that he wanted to talk. The three Jedi left the room to speak with the grizzled veteran.

"I don't think she should go back to Coruscant," said Skirata. "I doubt that Isard will respect our advice and her being on Coruscant will only make it all the more tempting for her to be rescued again."

"Are you suggesting that we kill her?" asked Obi-Wan.

"I'm suggesting that is what we tell everyone," said Skirata. "I have a hideaway no one else knows about. Escape will be impossible there, as well as her calling for help. And before you say anything, the people there will not mistreat her."

"Sergeant, you have proven to be better than I gave you credit for, but I don't think we can do that," said Obi-Wan. Anakin also looked rather skeptical. Ahsoka, however, had an idea of why he was proposing this course of action.

"He won't hurt her, he needs a scientist capable of figuring out a way to counteract the accelerated aging of the clones," Ahsoka said. "Am I correct?" Skirata looked rather nervous at the revelation of his true motives.

"Yes, you are," he admitted.

"Surely there are other scientists you could hire to do this," said Obi-Wan. "Wouldn't that make more sense than kidnapping an enemy scientist in an attempt to make her do something she wouldn't do willingly?"

"None of the scientists I could hire would be adequately qualified," responded Skirata. "I don't trust scientists in general, much less ones that can just be hired."

"Not every scientist is as cold and uncaring as the Kaminoans," said Anakin.

"General Skywalker, the most famous scientist in Mandalorian history was Antos Wyrick," started Skirata. "He called himself Demagol, which roughly translates as 'Flesh Carver', and spent the better part of his life setting up a bogus boarding school for Force-Sensitive children kidnapped or tricked into coming from across the galaxy. He experimented on his own daughter, Chantique, turning her into a vicious psychopath who grew up to lead the most feared slaver syndicate of the era. After the school was destroyed and his supposed students were murdered, or scattered to the galactic winds, he settled for kidnapping Jedi Apprentices and experimenting on them in an attempt to better understand the Force. Mandalorians grow up being taught that most scientists are like that. I try to keep an open mind about Jedi, especially after I met you guys, but almost every scientist I have met is thoroughly untrustworthy and, if not sociopathic, is certainly unethical. If I force them to help me, at least I have leverage over them."

"How did that work out with Ko Sai?" asked Obi-Wan. "Or am I to believe you just found her?"

"She killed herself because she was too much of a narcissist to help people she saw as inferior," answered Skirata. "The fact that Uthan has stayed sane this long indicates she is strong-willed and determined to survive. I will just offer her whatever amount of money afterward, let her go, and it will secure her reputation as a scientist."

"Uthan doesn't strike me as greedy or self-absorbed," Ahsoka pointed out. "She reminds me of people who Dooku has charmed into joining him under the belief they are the good guys."

"We'll see how loyal to the Separatists she is, when we show her undeniable proof of the sort of crimes they have committed," said Skirata. "The most important thing is that if everyone thinks she's dead, the Seps won't come looking for her."

"The idea has its merits, I will give you that," said Obi-Wan. "I know you would not give her back to the Separatists, but you cannot stand guard at this hiding place of yours, all the time. You would need to have someone else guard her in your absence. Who would they be and how would I be assured of their trustworthiness?"

"My housekeeper, for lack of a better term, is named Rav Bralor," Skirata answered. "She is a fellow Cuy'val Dar and not a bloodthirsty maniac like Priest and Reau. Like me, she is in no need of money right now. Rav can be trusted, much more than Isard can."

"And you would have us keep this a secret from everyone else?" asked Anakin.

"If you must tell someone, tell your council," offered Skirata. "The fewer people who know about it, however, the better."

"The chancellor and several other senators have promised me that research will be conducted to help find ways to counteract the accelerated aging of the clones," said Anakin. "But if you want to conduct your own efforts while keeping someone as dangerous as Uthan out of the hands of the Separatists, I am fully behind you."

"Thank you Anakin," said Skirata. "General Tano, what is your opinion?"

"I think we should do this," said Ahsoka. "That way, the chances of Cad Bane taking hostages in order to extort her release are nonexistent. What about you, Obi-Wan?"

"Under the circumstances, I think this is the best option," concluded Obi-Wan. "I have wondered what the original Mandalore is like on several occasions. I guess we can stop by that planet on our way to Coruscant."

"Glad to hear it," said Skirata. "Manda'yaim doesn't have as much fancy tech as Kalavela but it isn't an irradiated desert where everyone is forced to live inside a giant bubble. There are a few deserts, but it is mostly forest outside the settlements. We will be landing at Keldabe, where we will meet Rav. Feel free to explore the town but keep those sabers hidden. You probably won't be attacked, at least in the open, but a lot of mercs pass through there. If they see a Jedi on the Mandalorian homeworld, they will talk about it."

"Given the current leader of Death Watch, we will restrict ourselves to looking out the window during our landing," said Obi-Wan. "We can go exploring another day."

The Perave system…

Narrisa Dansitius was in the Sith Infiltrator granted to her by her master. She was approaching the planet Arkania. Thousands of years ago, Arkania had been forced to join the Republic after the genocide of its local Sith population. Over the ensuing millennia, power had increasingly been consolidated by the powerful Adascorp company, owned by the prominent Adasca family. They proceeded to create a subspecies of Arkanian, called Offshoots, so more gems could be mined on the planet. Unsurprisingly, the pureblood Arkanians treated the Offshoots disdainfully and when the Offshoots were no longer needed, Adascorp created and released viruses in the ghettos killing many of the subspecies. In addition, the company was determined to create a device that would allow them to control Exogorths, the dreaded space slugs. The project ended in abysmal failure, however, when a disgruntled employee and several other misfits hijacked control of the monsters, using them to destroy the company's flagship and Lord Arkoh Adasca, bringing an end to the Adasca family and crippling the company.

In the ensuing millennia, power had shifted to the Arkanian Dominion, a collection of powerful scientists and businesspeople. Rights had also improved for the Offshoots over four thousand years, leading to the election of Jarael Sarasum, the very first Offshoot elected to the dominion. Unsurprisingly, there were a lot of Arkanians who didn't like that. After a group of terrorists attempted a coup, the planet erupted into civil war. Initially, the terrorists had the upper hand, building an army of advanced cyborgs to conquer the planet. When the government proved unable to put down the rebellion, they did what every Republic planet did, they called the Jedi for help. Among the many Jedi dispatched to the planet was a young Mace Windu. After a yearlong war, the Jedi were finally able to defeat the insurgents and their cyborg army. Officially, the terrorist leaders were all killed in the final battle when their bunker exploded. Rumors persisted however, that the insurgents had been summarily executed by Mace Windu to ensure they would not be able to cause further strife at any trial.

After the civil war, Arkania had shifted its focus from experimentation on sentients to medical technology, specifically cloning replacement organs and attempting to clone replacement limbs but that all changed with the Clone Wars. Arkania hadn't been directly affected by the war but with the revelation of the clone army, all non-military uses of cloning had been declared illegal. Because of how important it was to the Arkanian economy, it had been one of several worlds which was still allowed to perform medical cloning but it was still prohibited to move any such products offworld, and further research was illegal altogether. Despite all the attempts by the President, Jarael Sarasum, Arkania's economy was on the verge of collapse as a result of the cloning ban.

Narrisa was headed for the ruins of a town, destroyed in the civil war decades earlier. It was now inhabited by only two people, who lived beneath the ruins. If they lived in the city or other more inhabitable areas, they would executed. Narrisa landed in the town square, got out of the ship, engaged the cloaking device, and walked to the hidden entrance to a laboratory. She was met by a very tall creature that was covered almost entirely in metal. The only hint that he was an organic being at all was the Trandoshan forearm connected by several cables to his left shoulder. This creature was called Gorm and was one of the only cybernetic abominations that had survived the civil war. After the war, during which he had fought Mace Windu himself to a draw, he had gone on to become a violent mercenary. After scanning her for listening devices, he led her into the lair of his current employer. Inside was a middle aged Arkanian man sitting behind a desk. His name was Doctor Arkoh Symonenko, a pureblood Arkanian geneticist and one of the only terrorist leaders to survive the war. After his cause had been defeated, he had gone into hiding to avoid trial and execution. He now sold medical equipment illegally to anyone who could pay his price.

"Do you require more equipment?" asked the Arkanian fugitive.

"Yes, and I also require a geneticist," replied the Zeltron Sith. "I can assure you, you will be well paid."

"I want more than money to work on whatever it is you are doing," said Symonenko. "I want help knocking those filthy Offshoots off their pedestal and doing what should have been done four thousand years ago."

"When this project is finished, there will be nothing to stop the Separatists from fulfilling your desires," Narrisa lied convincingly. "I need an answer now, though."

"Of course I will, it was getting bored here anyway," said Symonenko. "Come on, Gorm."

"No, I am tired of playing bodyguard, I want to do something more fun," said the cyborg. "I heard there was a bounty on a crazy Jedi called Dir'nul. I think I will go collect that." The massive cyborg walked out and went to his own ship, flying to parts unknown. Narrisa paid him no mind, instead leading the Arkanian scientist to her own ship, flying off for their next destination.

Aboard the Aay'han, Mandalore system…

"So that is the original Mandalore," said Obi-Wan, looking out at the planet in front of the Aay'han. Mandalore was a huge planet with a variety of different terrain, including forests, oceans, deserts, and grass plains. A far cry from the toxic desert that was once called Kalevala. "I was expecting it to be rather… unfriendly."

"Manda'yaim does have its predators but it isn't that bad a place to live," said Skirata. "In case you are wondering why Kalevala is such a nasty dust ball, it is because the first colony ship to try to settle there crashed and its reactor ruptured, devastating the planet's ecosystem. After a few more centuries of people dumping toxins on the planet, it turned into the toxic desert it is today. Why do you think they live in those bubble cities?"

"I heard that the environment was heavily contaminated, I always got the impression it was because of chemical warfare," answered Obi-Wan. "Satine always wanted to find a way to terraform the rest of the planet."

"Yeah, too bad it didn't work out like everything else she tried," Skirata said rather uncomfortably. "I think it would be a good idea if you three stayed on the ship. You probably wouldn't be attacked on sight but the sight of a Jedi is still rather strange in Keldabe. It would be best to avoid drawing attention."

"I agree," answered Obi-Wan. "The three of us will stay on the ship." As Skirata turned to leave, Obi-Wan stopped him. "I am taking a chance with you, Sergeant, don't make me regret this."

"You won't, General," answered Skirata.

Earlier…

Ahsoka knew that they would arrive on Mandalore soon, so she decided to check on Uthan. She walked into the room where they had left her. She had a bacta patch wrapped around the stump where her left hand used to be.

"Is it time for us to land on Coruscant, where I will be paraded before your mindless followers in front of a court?" asked Uthan.

"Change of plans," said Ahsoka. "We are stashing you in a top secret location that is more humane than the asylum, and completely unknown, so you won't have any chance of rescue."

"Well hooray for you," said the captive scientist. "At least I won't be slowly going insane because idiot doctors think I am delusional."

"Why did you join the Separatists?" asked Ahsoka. "As bad as the senate is, I would think you would be more wary of the Trade Federation and the other conglomerates that hold dominance in the Separatist congress."

"Gibad's defense forces aren't sufficient to protect it, we needed allies to give us an army and couldn't be picky about who it was," said Uthan. "Dooku allied with creeps like that because he recognized it was the only way to fight the tyranny of Coruscant."

"Yes, I have heard of such justifications before," said Ahsoka. "But why did you join?"

"When the droid army was being constructed, it was going to be used to assert our independence from the Republic," said Uthan. "We only decided to attack the Republic when that gung-ho master of yours and his friends infiltrated Geonosis to kill our leaders. Then out rolls your army of brainwashed slave soldiers, completely out of nowhere, and annihilates a good chunk of the Confederate military in a single battle, and then starts attacking numerous other Confederate planets, winning almost every battle they participate in. How long would it take for them to completely overrun us? If they couldn't, how long would this war go on? Something had to be done."

"By creating the most impractical biological weapon in history?" asked Ahsoka incredulously.

"It would only affect humans at the start, later on I would be able to narrow it down," said Uthan. "The Republic would be forced to recognize our independence and sue for peace. But your cult couldn't have that, could it? No, instead, I am kidnapped and tossed into the most inhumane prison possible and I lost two years of my life as a result. I am finally freed, and I get my hand cut off and kidnapped again a week later."

"The fact you are working on biological weapons at all makes you a war criminal according to the Coruscant conventions," said Ahsoka. "The only reason you haven't been treated worse is because your allies have done even worse in your absence. Attacking hospitals, attempting to assassinate neutral leaders who turn against them, bombing civilian populations when they are losing the battle, deposing legitimate rulers of neutral planets and replacing them with their puppets, should I go on? Developing other biological weapons like one based on Damotite, recreating the Blue Shadow Virus in an airborne form, testing weapons on neutral populations, countless terrorist attacks, and of course my favorite- kidnapping and enslaving a Togruta colony to form an alliance with Zygerrians. I know what you are thinking, I am just making this up to convince you to join me. Well, these are all well documented atrocities and I am sure you will find they are truthful. If that doesn't convince you, I can arrange for you to meet several Separatists who have realized the sort of people they had aligned with. Until then, I suggest you think on my words."

Ahsoka walked out and went back to the cockpit to assist Anakin in landing the ship at the traditional Mandalorian capital city, Keldabe. As she walked out, she felt Uthan through the Force. While the scientist clearly didn't want to believe what she had heard, she couldn't help but wonder if it was true. While the woman clearly wasn't entirely convinced, it was a start and Ahsoka was satisfied with that.

**Sorry for making you wait, a bunch of crap came and interrupted me. I thought I would reference one of my favorite Star Wars comics, the KOTOR prequel comics. The Arkanian Revolution has been mentioned before but it has never been depicted and I decided to describe my own spin on it. Also, I decided that the reason Not-Mandalore is a desert is because of an accident, not warfare. I hope you all enjoyed this.**


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31

Skirata and Ordo escorted Uthan through the streets of Keldabe, with a stun prod pressed against her back. It wouldn't kill her but it would knock her out in case she tried to cause trouble. They were careful to look like they were a normal trio of people walking through Keldabe. Eventually, they came up to a speeder with Rav Bralor and Fi, the clone commando whose death they faked, waiting for them.

"Nice to see you again, Doc," said Fi, who was wearing the armor of her Mandalorian protector, Ghez Hokan. "Sorry if I confused you with my new get up."

"Well, that explains what happened to him," said Uthan. "Do I know you?"

"I was one of the commandos sent to Qillura," said Fi as she was forced into the speeder. "You had just been drugged and a short time after that a piece of shrapnel was imbedded in you, so you probably don't remember."

"I thought you seemed familiar," said Uthan as she sat down and was restrained. "You sure are dedicated if your secret prison is on a neutral world."

"No, I was just knocked into a coma and the paper pushers thought it would be easier to euthanize me than try to fix me, so my friends got me out and hacked the records to say I died," stated Fi. "I have been recovering here ever since."

"Strange, I thought you were incapable of disloyalty," said Uthan as the speeder started.

"Hardly, there have been other clones who felt similar," replied Fi. Skirata was unable to hear the rest of their conversation as the speeder drove away.

"I wish we could have brought the rest of the squad, Kal'buir," said Ordo.

"So did I but they don't have Beskar'gam and clone troopers would attract as much attention as Jedi," said Skirata. "Besides, even if we did have armor for all of them, six Mandalorians with a single Aruetiise would attract more attention than a single pair escorting their employer through a strange city she has never been to before."

"I guess," said Ordo. "Time to get back to the ship."

Meanwhile, back at the _Aay'han_…

Ahsoka was pacing the room she, Anakin, and Obi-Wan were using as their quarters for the journey.

"I am surprised that Skirata doesn't have several changes of civilian clothes here," said Obi-Wan. "We wouldn't be able to say we are Mandalorian but we could pretend we are just stopping here on our travels and seeking supplies."

"Probably something here he doesn't want us to know," said Ahsoka. "Even after working with him on several occasions, he is a very mistrustful person. I'm going to talk with the clones, see what they have to say about this place."

"Might as well get to know these guys as well," said Anakin. Obi-Wan decided to join his two younger friends in conversing with Omega Squad. They walked through the Mon Calamari ship to where the squad was. As they approached, Ahsoka heard a surprising conversation through her montrals.

"I can't believe that, when we finally get to the planet Fi is hiding on, we can't even see him," said Corr (being clones, they all had the same voice but Ahsoka sensed he was Corr.) "We haven't so much as spoken to him in over a year since Besany faked his death." Ahsoka was shocked, she knew these clones and Skirata weren't exactly enthusiastic supporters of the Republic but she didn't think they would desert in the middle of a war when over a hundred million other clones were fighting over a trillion battle droids across the galaxy. Ahsoka decided to see what this was about. The two older Jedi walked in with her.

"I don't think it is a good idea to be talking about him right now," said a different clone, Ahsoka sensed he was Darman. Anakin opened the door to the room the clones were staying in. "And what do you know, our superiors heard us."

"I have been trying to keep an open mind about you and Skirata but desertion is a serious crime," said Obi-Wan.

"It wasn't a desertion!" shouted Atin. "Fi had suffered brain damage and had been knocked into a coma. They were going to kill him because they didn't think keeping him alive and fixing the damage was worth the effort."

"Why didn't you take him to the Jedi Temple?" asked Anakin. "The healers there would have done everything in their power to save his life and ensure that he would be whole again."

"Ordo's girlfriend was visiting, she panicked when she realized what they were doing, and pulled a blaster," explained Darman. "The only reason you didn't hear about it was because the cop leading the SWAT team is a friend of ours. He covered it up and Ordo altered the records to say Fi had died in surgery."

"I suppose that Bardan Jusik has been his caretaker during his recovery," said Obi-Wan. "There have been extremely rare sightings of him since his resignation, and while looking over his file, it said that he had been approached for potential recruitment as a healer."

"Yeah, Bardan is fixing Fi's brain while he is learning how to walk again," said Darman. "Now that you know a secret that could get us court-martialed, what are you going to do?"

"I don't like deserters but if what you say is true he didn't have either a choice or say in the matter," said Anakin. "And I have never been very happy at the idea of discarding allies as a matter of convenience. Besides, we have already committed to hiding Uthan here, so bringing up your brother's desertion would sink that plan, wouldn't you agree Obi-Wan."

"Under the circumstances, I think ignoring this is for the best," agreed Obi-Wan. "I do suggest, however, that if there are any other confessions you need to make, now would be the time."

"There is one other secret but it won't affect you at all and it won't make hiding Uthan any harder," said Darman.

"How can we be sure?" asked Obi-Wan.

"It is something that only affects me, and our enemies have no way of extorting me with it," explained Darman. "That is the only assurance you will get, I'm afraid."

"Okay, we are all entitled to our secrets," said Anakin. "I will get the ship ready for takeoff." Anakin walked into the cockpit and began the activation sequence. A short time later, Skirata arrived and walked inside. He was a rather nervous when he realized they had learned about Fi but was quickly relieved when he realized they would keep it secret.

"Well, it is always nice to see Jedi who live up to the image of how compassionate they are," said Skirata. "And Darman was telling the truth when he said the only secret we have left doesn't affect anyone else and there is no way for it to be used as a means of extortion."

"Was it the reason why he disappeared for some time after attacking you?" asked Ahsoka.

"Yeah, he didn't appreciate not clueing him in," said Skirata. "Also, just after handing off Uthan, I noticed she looked kinda depressed, as if she was starting to question her beliefs. She just looked down at her feet, as though she was utterly defeated."

"Well, hopefully she can realize that the Seps aren't the freedom fighters they claim to be," said Ahsoka. "It would certainly make her more cooperative."

"That it will, General." said Skirata. "Here's hoping our lies about Uthan will work, as well."

Ziost, ancient Sith space…

Ziost was the capital world of the ancient Sith Empire. The extremely cold planet was where the most powerful Sith Lords gathered to form councils on how to govern the empire, under the leadership of a single Dark Lord. It was abandoned like the other Sith worlds by survivors fleeing the genocidal Republic and Jedi. Over a thousand years later, it was reclaimed along with other Sith worlds by the resurgent Sith Empire. It became a rather prosperous world until the thousand-year-old Emperor went insane and devoured all life on Ziost in order to become stronger in the Force, leaving it a lifeless world. What happened to the Emperor and the Sith Empire itself was unknown, but Ziost was never resettled and was left covered in ashes that were now all that remains of the population. Standing on the planet was very difficult for a Jedi, as it was surrounded by the dark side, left over by both the ancient Sith and the dark ritual that consumed the planet so long ago. Narrisa had chosen the planet both because of its isolation and strength in the Dark Side, which would hopefully both hide her presence and give her strength should the new lab be discovered.

"Yes, this location will do," said Symonenko, looking at where the lab building was already being constructed by battle droids. "I will begin my research immediately. Of course, this would be simple if you just wanted a plague that only infects humans. Identifying clones specifically, however, will take some time."

"Time is something we possess, doctor," said Narrisa. "As long as the weapon is completed by the end of the year, my master will be pleased."

"Can I trust him to uphold his end of the deal?" asked the Arkanian exile.

"Indeed you can," said Narrisa, who knew Darth Sidious really didn't care about the politics of Arkania. She proceeded inside the building alongside Symonenko, to supervise the droids inside. While Symonenko was studying the corpses of clone troopers (the doctor would have preferred live subjects but Sidious wanted to make full use of the clones before the end,) Narrisa would direct the battle droids and Thrysus Sun Guards in setting up defenses to defend the hidden base.

Coruscant, two days later…

It had taken two days to travel from Mandalore to Coruscant. During the trip, they had passed the time by talking about their pasts. Ordo was in a committed relationship with a treasury investigator named Besany Wennen who he had met during an anti-terrorist operation, masterminded by surviving Jabiimi Nationalists. Atin had been scarred during a fight with his own drill sergeant, Walon Vau, after losing his temper built up from his father figure's emotional neglect. Now he was in a committed relationship with Laseema, a Rutian Twi'lek waitress and former prostitute. Anakin promised to talk to Palpatine about injured clones being euthanized if they were unlikely to recover, while agreeing to keep Fi's survival a secret. Skirata had revealed what had been happening during his time away. He had sought out his estranged sons, who had disowned him as their father for not coming to their mother's funeral and not even bothering to tell them why. Being isolated on Kamino at the time, he had been unable to come to their summons or respond at all. After recent events, however, he decided to seek them out. After a while, he eventually found them, in the last place he expected them to be. They had joined the Nite Owls.

"Really?" asked Obi-Wan. "I thought they rejected your beliefs and identified as Corellian. According to your file, their last place of employment was at the Coronet City bank as the manager and its security chief."

"Well, after getting stuck on Carlac when pirates destroyed their ship, they were found by Pre Vizsla right after General Tano escaped his encampment," explained Skirata. "The only reason they weren't murdered was when they impressed Vizsla with some _Mando'a_ I had taught them as children. After learning their past, Vizsla decided to give them a choice: join Death Watch or be killed as _Dar'manda_, which refers to Mandalorians who have forgotten their heritage."

"Odd thing for you to name one of your foster sons," said Obi-Wan, looking at Darman.

"I was still settling in to my role as drill sergeant and foster father, I just used the first name I could think of," said Skirata. "They turned out to have a talent for it, remembering how good I was at it. They sided with Bo-Katan Kryze after your pal Darth Maul killed Vizsla and have been helping her look for support against Maul's forces."

"You must be happy to see your sons finally follow in your footsteps," said Obi-Wan.

"I long since gave up on the idea they would ever embrace the Mandalorian heritage," said Skirata. "At the end of the day, I am happy they forgave me and are trying to reconnect after so long."

"Good for you, Sergeant," said Anakin, who had walked out of the cockpit. "We are coming up on Coruscant now. We have been directed to a private landing pad, Isard, the Jedi Council, and the Chancellor are waiting for us."

"Okay, just remember our part, everyone," said Skirata. "General Skywalker, witnessed by the other two Generals, accidently deflected a blaster shot into Uthan's face, killing her. Her corpse was incinerated in the explosion that destroyed the base. We needed to hide in an asteroid field in order to evade a Separatist patrol, explaining why we have been out of contact and haven't arrived on schedule. Everybody got that." The clones nodded as they donned their helmets and strapped in for landing. Anakin navigated through the Coruscant cityscape to a heavily-guarded landing pad, where Yoda, Palpatine, and Isard were waiting. An entire phalanx of Coruscant Shock Troopers, along with the red-robed Chancellor's guards, had secured the landing pad. Other people there included Plo Koon, Arligan Zey, and Bail Organa.

Anakin set the ship down on the landing pad. The team walked out of the ship, stepping onto the landing pad.

"Anakin, General Tano, Master Kenobi," started Palpatine. "And you must be Sergeant Skirata. I have heard many great things about you from Captain Obrim. And this must be Omega Squad, General Zey tells me you are among the greatest defenders the Republic has."

"Thank you, sir," said Niner. "It is a pleasure to safeguard democracy from the hypocrisy of the Separatists and other despots."

"This is all well and good, your Excellency," said Isard. "But we need to focus on the issue at hand. Everything that happened on Coruscant in the last week was for one purpose: to free Ovolot Qail Uthan. I don't see her here. Where is she?"

"She was killed during the operation," said Anakin.

"What?!" exclaimed Isard. "She was a top Separatist scientist, she could have told us so much about their capabilities! You run off and kill her without so much as interrogating her!?"

"Calm yourself, Director Isard," said Yoda. "End the threat she posed, the mission was. Accomplished it, they did."

"Just like the top Jedi himself to shrug off a poorly executed mission," said Isard. "Frankly, I am getting tired of Jedi incompetence impeding the war."

"You are in no position to talk about incompetence, Director," Organa said. "You hid Uthan in a civilian detention facility and took no precautions in hiding her identity. I have just heard back from Commander Fox, he said that one of the janitors at that asylum tipped off her location to the Separatists. With that in mind, you will be facing a board of review to determine the extent of your culpability in this incident."

"In the middle of a war, after the biggest terrorist attack in this planet's history?!" Isard incredulously questioned.

"You are lucky it is not a tribunal," said Plo Koon. "Considering how you committed such offenses as fraud and improper treatment of a prisoner of war, the only reason you are not facing criminal charges is because there is a war on. While it is unfortunate that Doctor Uthan was killed, Master Skywalker acted appropriately under the circumstances and within mission parameters."

"Calm down everyone, what is done is done, and the greatest threat to the Grand Army is neutralized," interrupted the Chancellor. "Bickering amongst ourselves is pointless." He then looked at General Zey. "Though I am somewhat surprised you organized and launched the mission so quickly without even bothering to inform the rest of us," he said to the Special Forces director.

"I did not know how close Uthan was to completing the weapon, so I needed to act immediately," explained Zey. "I also did not know the source of the intelligence leak, so I felt it wise to keep the information as secret as possible."

"I suppose your instincts served you well," said Palpatine. "I suppose congratulations are in order for all of you."

"Thank you, Chancellor," said Skirata. "We live to serve." While Palpatine shook the hands of Skirata and all of the clones, Plo Koon received an unclear communication that surprised him. The team then split up, with Zey walking onto the ship with Skirata and the clones, now headed for Arca Barracks for debriefing, while the three Jedi boarded a gunship headed for the Jedi Temple to debrief and rest from the long mission. Yoda boarded the Chancellor's speeder, riding to the executive residence to have a strategy meeting with Palpatine. While on their way there, Plo looked at the three Jedi Guardians who had completed the mission.

"I have often wondered how Isard got his position," said Plo. "His dislike of non-humans hardly makes him the sort of person you would want to trust with anything important, and while I understand that he needs to bend the law if the situation warrants it, he had no reason to place Uthan in an asylum other than cruelty."

"Charging him with his crimes is counterproductive in wartime, but hopefully he will at least get fired," said Ahsoka. "Master Plo, how have things been in our absence?"

"Thirty people at the Jedi Temple alone were killed by the monsters Dansitius had unleashed," answered Plo. "We estimate that three hundred thousand people in total were lost during this attack, either by being killed outright or by being turned into those creatures. Thankfully, the last of those abominations were isolated and destroyed yesterday. Even so, with the damage done, the planet is going to be feeling the effects of this for some time. As for me, I have a few questions of my own: I have heard many things about this Kal Skirata. What is your opinion on him?"

"He is suspicious of Jedi he doesn't know," said Ahsoka. "He thinks the Jedi are uncaring of the plight of clones and self-righteous hypocrites. He is, however, trying to be more open-minded now after meeting me and my friends. He also hates Kaminoans, who he considers murderous, perfection-obsessed jerks with a morbid sense for scientific curiosity."

"I am forced to agree he is right to be paranoid about Kaminoans," said Plo. "Shaak told me about how they tried to terminate an entire cloning pod because the first one to come out was malformed and incapable of battle. There was also the incident of how they…altered Nala Se and concealed the truth about the inhibitor chips from us. His dislike of Jedi is unfortunate but not surprising given his background. A few Jedi, like Master Drallig, have doubted his loyalty on account of his heritage and mercenary career."

"Skirata definitly isn't lacking in money, Master Plo," said Obi-Wan. "His career in training clones and several…extracurricular activities have made him extremely wealthy. Despite his dislike of Jedi, he is firmly committed to his contract, both as a matter of honor and out of personal interest. He takes loyalty very seriously and as long as we don't betray him, he will serve the Republic until the war is over. He is also very committed to helping clones, both ones he trained and others."

"Yes, I heard he had adopted several of his former trainees as his sons," said Plo. "What about loyalty to his biological children? His sons went missing over fourteen months ago during a business trip to Bonadan. From what I understand, they didn't embrace their father's ideals, given how they were a bank manager and security chief for a Corellian bank."

"He reunited with them some time ago, after they had been shot down by pirates, by which point they had embraced their heritage after regretting how things ended between them," said Obi-Wan. "He has been in much greater contact after reuniting with them than before. They are now a part of Bo-Katan Kryze's Nite Owls."

"She is a former terrorist but given all that has happened at Kalavela and what she is doing now, I suppose it could be worse," said Plo. "We have been meaning to contact the Nite Owls to form an alliance to help them depose Death Watch but they cover their tracks extremely well. The next time you talk to Skirata, tell him of our proposal. His daughter, however, is the first thing you should talk to him about."

"Why?" asked Ahsoka.

"Because Ruusaan Skirata was captured on Denon as a mercenary hired by the local insurgency," said Plo, referring to his recent victory against the pro-separatist terrorist movement on the Republic world. "She has been detained in a POW camp on Carida. Isard will no doubt attempt to have Skirata arrested in an effort to hide his own incompetence and criminal acts."

"I don't think we should tell him about that just yet," said Obi-Wan.

"You need to," said Plo. "She has been uncooperative with mind tricks and conventional persuasion. She has even remained defiant in the face of certain death."

"What do you mean?" asked Obi-Wan.

"I caught her in civilian clothes sneaking into our encampment to plant explosives on our vehicles and place a listening device in the conference room," explained Plo. "She is also a Corellian citizen, which means that in addition to espionage, sabotage, and terrorism, as defined by the Coruscant convention, she is also being charged with treason by a military tribunal. If she does not cooperate, they will execute her. I only just learned this with that call I received on the landing platform."

"If that is the case, drop me off at Arca Barracks," said Ahsoka. "Skirata is hotheaded and can be rather unpredictable, especially if he receives bad news from someone he doesn't know or respect. I can catch up with you."

"Very well, Sinker, change course," Plo ordered the pilot, who immediately obeyed. Sinker had been with Plo for years, and as a member of Wolfe's elite squad, the Wolfpack, he had been trained in both ground combat and piloting.

"Hopefully Skirata won't learn of this from Isard's agents," said Obi-Wan.

"It will take at least a day for this information to come across that thug's desk," said Anakin. "Ahsoka can handle this."

"Indeed I can," said Ahsoka. As the transport flew over Arca base, Ahsoka jumped out of the ship and used the Force to slow her descent, landing softly in front of the entrance. She then walked inside and used the Force to direct her to Skirata. She walked right into the room where she sensed where he was.

"I didn't know we would be seeing each other so soon," said Skirata. "What is it, General?"

"I need to talk with you urgently," said Ahsoka. "It is about your daughter…"

**Sorry for the long absence, I have been having computer problems. If some of the numbers don't make sense to you, as 1-1 Marines pointed out, three million clones is rather low for a galaxy wide war and a hundred million makes more sense. There aren't literally a trillion droids, Ahsoka is just thinking in hyperbole. I wrote what would happen I think Kal Skirata's sons would be like in TCW. I originally had Secundus as the world Ruusaan was caught on but I realized that a Human would stand out on a planet of spider people, so I switched it to a city planet where Humans wouldn't stand out.**


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32

Kal Skirata was speechless after Ahsoka revealed what she had learned. He hadn't seen or heard from his daughter since she was fourteen. According to Tor and Ijaat, they typically saw her once a year and that she was a courier for anyone who could pay. He knew that many things could have shaped her in his absence but he never thought she would join the Separatists.

"Is your friend sure this is Ruusaan?" asked Skirata.

"She has been positively identified," said Ahsoka. "He would not tell me this if he didn't know for sure. She has been sent to a POW camp on Carida." Ahsoka paused, before continuing to explain. "She is being uncooperative to both Mind Tricks and conventional interrogation and is even defiant with the threat of death."

"What?!" exclaimed Skirata, clearly incensed at the threat of someone threatening his daughter. Ahsoka spoke quickly in order to calm him down.

"She was caught participating in a Separatist insurgency," she explained. "Specifically, she was caught attempting to plant a bomb at a Republic staging area while wearing civilian clothes, with no identifying marks or symbols to showcase her allegiance."

"So they are charging her with terrorism and being an unlawful combatant," concluded Skirata, still unhappy at the news but more relaxed after it was clarified that it was lawfully required under the Coruscant conventions.

"As she is also a Corellian citizen, they are also charging her with treason," said Ahsoka. "If she doesn't cooperate, she will be executed."

"Then I will head there as soon as I can to make her come to her senses," said Skirata. "Hopefully, she will listen to me and see that the Separatists aren't worth dying for." Before he could leave, Ahsoka sensed a somewhat hostile presence heading their way. She looked around and saw a Republic Navy ensign with a COMPOR lapel and two other people who she suspected were intelligence agents walking toward them. Clearly Isard had dispatched them in an effort to deflect scrutiny from himself.

"Stop," she ordered to the trio. "Isard does not have the authority to order the arrest of Republic Army personnel."

"That Mandalorian filth is just a mercenary," said the ensign. "Besides, aliens like you aren't actual officers. They are either too stupid to be leaders or they are Sepa-" Ahsoka griped his throat with the Force, silencing the bigot.

"My people have been oppressed by the Separatists, you deluded bigot," retorted Ahsoka. "In addition, I am your superior officer, so _you will obey._" She relaxed the grip and allowed him to fall to the floor, gasping for breath. "What is your name?"

"Luz…Luzgoti," the officer croaked out.

"You will report to the lowest level of the base as fast as you can," she commanded, using the Force to compel him to obey. "Then you will wipe off the dirt on the floor outside the elevator by hand until it is pristine and afterwards report to the Judge Advocate pending a court-martial hearing."

"Yes sir," the man called Luzgoti said, almost completely out of it, before running off to the elevator. Ahsoka then turned to the pair of intelligence agents.

"We have no quarrel with you, General," said the older of the two. "We did not know our way around the base, so we asked that man for help. We were unaware of his bigotry and stupidity. Unfortunately, we still have orders from Director Isard to question the Sergeant."

"And like I said before, Isard does not have the authority, let alone justification, for questioning him," replied Ahsoka, somewhat more respectful than before. "The only reason Isard sent you is as a desperate attempt to deflect attention away from his own incompetence."

"I wouldn't know about that, sir," said the younger of the two. "I was just told to bring the Sergeant in for questioning about his daughter."

"You really don't want to do that," said Skirata. "I haven't seen my daughter in over twenty years, and I haven't talked to her in fifteen. Right now, the only thing I want to do is go to Carida in the hopes of talking some sense into her."

"I understand that," said the older agent. "Unfortunately, we still have our orders."

"You are intelligence agents, not loyalty officers," interjected Ahsoka. "Isard does not have the authority to arrest soldiers of the Republic Army without hard evidence. Given how he has been suspended for the inquiry, he has no authority to order anything right now."

"We were unaware of his suspension," said the older one. "If that is the case, we will leave and let the sergeant go about his business." The two of them then walked away.

"Thanks for standing up for me, General," said Skirata. "Normally I can fight my own battles but I would rather not break their legs in order to go on my way." Shortly afterward, an ARC trooper Ahsoka recognized as Ordo approached them.

"The weirdest thing just happened, _Kal'buir_," Ordo said. "I was walking up the stairs, since the elevator is out of order, when I saw some random ensign smash down a few feet away from me. Before he died, he muttered that he needed to get to the bottom floor as fast as he could." Ahsoka was surprised, she didn't know that was how he would interpret her command. Still, it wasn't like he would be missed.

"He was a bigoted jerk who needed a few lessons in respect," said Ahsoka. "I used the Force to compel him to reach the bottom floor as fast as possible. I guess I should have been more specific about the wording."

"Looks like you should be a bit more careful, next time," said Ordo. "Anyway, what is going on, _Kal'buir_? You sent a signal to summon me."

"I will tell you on the way, it is kinda a long story," Skirata said.

"Before you go and ask Ordo to do something that I am pretty sure I shouldn't know about," Ahsoka said, "there is one other thing I need to ask of you."

"What is it?" the grizzled Mandalorian asked.

"Master Plo Koon, upon hearing that your sons are part of the Nite Owls, wanted me to ask you to contact them," said Ahsoka. "He wants to contact Bo-Katan Kryze in the hopes of cooperating in order to force Death Watch out of power."

"I will call them the next chance I get," said Skirata. "Anything to get rid of those psychos."

"Thank you, I will leave you right to it," said Ahsoka, who then walked away before Skirata started asking Ordo to do something she was sure was illegal.

"So, what is going on?" asked Ordo.

"I will tell you on the way, it is a bit of a long story," said Skirata.

Back at the Jedi Temple…

Ahsoka walked next to Echo inside the Temple. She had reunited with her executive officer after talking with Skirata, and he had volunteered to fly her back to the Temple. They walked into the Temple observation where Plo was waiting.

"How did the Sergeant react to the news?" asked the Kel Dor Jed Councilmember.

"He was definitely shocked at the news," answered Ahsoka. "After turning away several of Isard's stooges, no doubt they're hoping to deflect attention away from their incompetence, he went to his ship. He is heading for Carida now in the hopes of getting her to cooperate. In addition, he promised he would reach out to his sons in the Nite Owls."

"I wish him luck, then," said Plo. "I am pleased that there is now an opportunity to work with them. Without local Mandalorian support, retaking Kalevala will be extremely difficult, to say nothing of how legally complicated it is sending an army to a neutral world to start with. But enough with my problems. I do sincerely hope he can make his daughter see the truth about the Separatists, like your friend Lux Bonteri did. I wish that was all I had to ask of you, Little 'Soka, but something has come up."

"What is it, Master Plo?" asked Ahsoka. Plo activated the holographic display, showing a planet.

"There has been a large amount of activity in the Nelvaan system," he said. "Large numbers of cargo ships have been seen going there. The reason for this upsurge in activity is unknown."

"And I am to investigate it, right?" Ahsoka asked.

"Indeed," he confirmed. "Once you ascertain the nature of the Separatist presence, we will launch our assault on the planet."

"Is there anything you can tell me about the planet?" she asked.

"It is largely composed of forests, and the native species is rather primitive," he answered. "Apart from that, not much else is known."

"Well, I suppose I can learn more about the planet when I get there," she said. "I will get ready for the mission immediately."

"Good luck, and may the Force be with you," said Plo Koon.

Two days later, the Carida system…

Kal Skirata had decided to take a military transport to Carida. He had already briefed Ordo on the backup plan regarding Ruusaan, in case things didn't work out his way. He knew that she had committed a war crime but she was still his daughter and he couldn't let her die for a mistake he wasn't there to prevent her from doing. A part of him knew that such reasoning was idiotic, but for the most part he was feeling guilty for how he never tried to reconnect with her, even after leaving Kamino. Hopefully he could make it up to her now.

Obi-Wan Kenobi had decided to accompany Skirata to Carida in case anyone gave the Mandalorian trouble. Skirata had proven trustworthy and he decided to make sure that everyone who might give them trouble knew that as well.

"General Kenobi?" Obi-Wan heard from a vaguely familiar voice. He looked in the direction of the voice and saw a Junior Grade Lieutenant who looked somewhat familiar.

"Yes, do I know you, Lieutenant?" asked Obi-Wan.

"Lieutenant Junior Grade Nolan Gillmunn, sir," the young officer saluted. "My father was the leader of the Loyalist Militia on Jabiim.

"Oh, yes I remember now," said Obi-Wan. "Your father was the militia commander. I heard that you had decided to leave after the battle and join the command of Aubrie Wyn."

"Yeah, Aubrie-I mean General Wyn-has been a wonderful friend," said the Jabiimi officer. "All my friends and family were dead at the end of the battle, some I killed personally, and my home was destroyed. Jabiim is a place I don't want to go back to. There wasn't much demand for ground pounders, so I joined the navy. After some retraining, General Wyn had me assigned to her ship." He then looked at Kal Skirata. "Are you a friend of Marik Orar?" he asked the Mandalorian sergeant.

"I am a friend of his parents, sir," said Skirata. The young officer technically outranked him, so Skirata decided to show proper respect, as was protocol. It was also nice to meet someone who didn't believe the stereotypes about Mandalorians, especially a naval officer, who in his experience were often from some bigshot family who sneered at anyone who didn't come from a naval family, regardless of their talent, and who looked down on ground troops as a reminder of an "uncivilized" era. One of the nice things about Jedi was that they were egalitarian, while the Navy, and the Judicial Forces before them, tended to be elitist snobs. A Jedi then walked into the hanger bay. She was a human, who looked a few years older than Ahsoka, with brown hair and brown eyes, standing 5'8 inches tall.

"Master Kenobi, it is nice to see you again," said the young woman. "Would you mind introducing me to your new friend?"

"Aubrie Wyn, this is Sergeant Kal Skirata," introduced Obi-Wan. "He is one of those Mandalorian drill sergeants that Marik mentioned he grew up around on Kamino. Right now, he is working with the Special Operations Brigade."

"Well, I am going to Carida on a personal matter, to tell the truth," said Skirata. "General Kenobi is coming along to make sure that I am not given any trouble as a result."

"Well, I wish you luck with that," said Aubrie. "Marik showed me that Mandalorian stereotypes should not be taken at face value. Right now, he and our friend, Zule Xiss are conducting a cross-training program on Carida. Nolan and I figured we could help, since our ship is being upgraded at Kuat at the moment. Are you coming for the same reason?"

"Nice to see that Marik is living up to his parents' example," said Skirata. "In answer to your question, no. I am here because I didn't set a good example."

"Oh," said Nolan. "Well, I hope you are able to correct whatever mistake you made." The rest of the trip was rather silent, Skirata thinking to himself about what he would say to his daughter when he saw her again. Fifteen minutes later, the shuttle landed just outside the Republic Military Academy. Carida largely trained ground troops, as opposed to naval forces. Despite the millennia long peace and weapons limitation treaties, Carida had continued to churn out ground officers and soldiers to help settle various conflicts throughout the last thousand years. Unlike the Judicial Fleet, the ground forces trained at Carida's Cliffside Academy did not wither or decay in quality, as proven by the Stark Hyperspace Conflict. The war was named after the Pirate leader who sparked the war and how he essentially paralyzed the Republic with a computer virus that infected the Republic's navigation systems. While the ships of the Outland Regions Security Force were either destroyed as a result of the sabotage or shot down in orbit of Troiken, once on the ground, the elite ground troops were able to hold their ground repeatedly against the pirate forces, eventually securing victory. With the advent of the clone army, most of the non-clone Republic Forces had been relegated to support duty, with the exception of the Special Missions Regiments, trained exclusively on Carida. They saw more frontline action than any other non-clone Republic Forces. They were also the only such forces the Clones and Jedi consistently trusted not to betray them. None of that mattered to Skirata at the moment, however. He followed Obi-Wan to the prison center, where they were stopped by a non-clone officer who had a rather prominent scar just below his eyes and traveling across his face, with the letters ORSF tattooed on his neck. He was wearing a lapel that said "Stark's Bane," indicating that he was a veteran of the Stark Hyperspace War. Obi-Wan was somewhat surprised to see that the man was an orange Twi'lek, as Ranulph Tarkin, the founder of the Outland Regions Security Force. He preferred to staff his private militia with Humans, supposedly out of a desire to normalize procedures and improve unit cohesion. The officer looked at Obi-Wan and Skirata's credentials, then looked back up at the pair.

"Your credentials check out," said the officer. "Follow me, I will take you to see the prisoner." While being lead to the cell where Ruusaan Skirata was being held, Obi-Wan decided to break the silence.

"I see you are a veteran of Troiken," said the Jedi Master. "I was there as well."

"Yeah, those pirates were some mean Murglaks," said the Twi'lek officer. "Too bad Stark got away with it. This time, we won't need to cut a deal with him or any of his kind."

"No, I suppose not," said Obi-Wan. "I am surprised we didn't encounter each other at Mount Avos."

"There were a lot of guys there," said the officer. "But I suppose you mean that you don't remember seeing a Twi'lek."

"Well, I don't," said Obi-Wan. "I was under the impression Tarkin didn't care for non-humans."

"The aliens Tarkin didn't want in his fleet were Besaliesks, Arconas, Gammoreans, Ortolans, Grans, Rodians, Niktos, Weaquays, Aqualish, and Dugs," explained the man. "In other words, the races he didn't want in his fleet were either freaks that would get in the way or races with a disproportionate number of criminals among them. He never had a problem with races like Twi'leks, Zeltrons, both types of Arkanians, Mirialans, Zabraks, and Togrutas. Most just don't realize that the majority of nonhuman members of the expedition never made it to the surface. It really shows the priorities of the media and Valorum's ilk when they focus on that fault of his instead of the ones that almost led to defeat. Tarkin was a lackluster leader but he was right that the Republic shouldn't negotiate with pirates. Nothing made me happier to hear that the Jedi had done what was necessary and started the construction of an army in secret." Obi-Wan didn't know what to say to that. After the revelation of the clone army in the aftermath of Geonosis, it was commonly believed that the Grand Army of the Republic was a Jedi initiative, having taken it upon themselves to create a capable military in the event of war, having seen their limitations during the Invasion of Naboo. While this wasn't the case in reality, the Jedi Order wasn't eager to publicly dissuade the notion, afraid that admitting the truth would only cause doubt and insecurity in a time when unity was most needed. Suddenly, they reached the end of the hall, interrupting Obi-Wan's train of thought as the officer keyed in the sequence.

"Here we are," said the officer as the door opened. Inside was a human woman with brown hair and blue eyes, who looked to be in her early to mid-thirties, wearing a gray prison jumpsuit.

"Are you here to threaten me in the hopes of getting me to cooperate again?" asked the woman. "It isn't going to work."

"Ruu?" asked Skirata, clearly at a loss of words to say to his estranged daughter.

**Sorry for taking so long to update, I have been fighting off the flu. The scene with Luzgoti was a reference to a funny dark side choice in KOTOR 2, in which you could mind trick a pair of thugs into jumping into a chasm after giving you all their money because it was the fastest way to get to the bottom. The Carida Academy is a reference to the one in Legends, which was the main Stormtrooper academy with the rise of the Empire. I also figured I would include a reference to my other story, Rains of Jabiim, by having cameos for two of its characters. I did not remember this but Marik Orar is a creation of Patriot112, who sadly stopped writing Star Wars fanfiction because he hates Disney. I decided to add my own interpretation to the Stark Hyperspace War, as well as a few things from the Essential Guide to Warfare (which revealed Ranulph Tarkin had previously lead successful anti-pirate operations before getting out of practice with his new career as a senator.) The explanation given for why most of the ORSF was human actually made sense. I decided to offer some speciesism because only Humans being racist gets old, and almost every Gran, Rodian, Nikto, Aqualish, or Weaquay being some sort of criminal, the Dugs, Arcona, Ortolans, and Besaliesks anatomies getting in the way, and Gammoreans being a combination of the two. I don't think many Humans would be prone to racism towards Near-Humans and similar races like Twi'leks and Togrutas. Also, Tarkin was entirely correct in his belief they shouldn't negotiate with a gang of pirates. Also, I am having connection issues, it should be over by the end of the week.**


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter 33

Ruusaan was surprised to see an old man come in and call her by name. She squinted at him for a second; trying to discern who he was. Her look of confusion then turned to surprise when she recognized him.

"Dad?" she asked.

"Yes, Ruusaan, it is me," said Skirata, clearly trying to keep his emotions in check. At that moment, Obi-Wan left the room, heading for the adjourning one with the two-way mirror. He knew that this conversation would go best if Skirata was alone.

"What are you doing here?" she asked disbelievingly.

"My daughter is arrested for terrorism and you think I wouldn't learn of it?" Skirata replied. "I haven't been that out of-"

"What are you doing with a Jedi?" Ruusaan clarified. "I thought you would be fighting the Republic if you were taking sides in the war at all."

"The reason I couldn't come to your mother's funeral was because I had been hired as a trainer for the clone army," explained Skirata. "And before you ask why I didn't join the Seps after my contract expired, I opted to prolong it when the war started."

"Why?" Ruusaan asked incredulously. "Surely a decade of training slave soldiers would pay enough for you to leave Republic service."

"By the time the war started, it stopped being about money," Skirata told his daughter. "I stayed on so I could better help the clones I had trained through the war."

"So you replaced me and the boys with clones?" Ruusaan asked, rather shocked by it. "I know we weren't exactly enthusiastic about Mandalorian culture but I wouldn't think you would-"

"I never replaced you!" Kal exclaimed. "I was forced into the role of parent to them because they had no one else. I should have looked to reconnect with you as soon as my contract was over but I got caught up in my own problems. But enough about me. Why are you being held as a Separatist terrorist?"

"The people of Denon want to join the Confederacy," said Ruusaan. "Their government won't let them. I was part of a group of Corellian Confederates forced to flee those jackboots in CorSec and their clone enforcers. We were stuck on Denon, so we decided to help with the cause however we could."

"By committing acts of terrorism?" Kal asked.

"We needed to fight Republic tyranny however we could," said Ruusaan. "We never went to the homes of Republic puppets. We only attacked military bases."

"Disguising yourself in civilian clothes while smuggling weapons and explosives has been considered terrorism for over four thousand years," explained Kal. "The nature of the target is irrelevant."

"I never knew you were a stickler for Republic law, Dad," noted Ruusaan. "Besides, I recall the Republic didn't have a problem helping Onderonian terrorists overthrow the planet's lawful government for siding with the Confederacy."

"The laws of war are something every soldier should respect," said Kal. "As for Onderon, Sanjay Rash had deposed the previous king, so his claim to legitimacy was suspect at best. In addition, the Onderonian national army sided with the pro-Republic Rebels, so they didn't think much of his claim either. And even the Rebel forces wore a pretty consistent uniform of dull gray clothing. From what I have heard, unlike the Denon insurgents who wear whatever they think will attract the least attention. And don't even get me started on the Jabiimi terrorists who set off bombs across Coruscant _after_ the Nationalist movement was destroyed."

"I never thought you would make excuses for Republic thugs," said Ruusaan. "If anything, I thought you would join as soon as possible to counteract their tyranny."

"Being a stooge for the Trade Federation or some other conglomerate out to loot planets that have no quarrel with them isn't very appealing," said Kal. "And even the Seps who aren't Corporatists are terrible people. There is General Grievous, an obvious psychopath who definitely enjoys killing Jedi considering he takes mementos as if he is a serial killer and who at one point went out of his way to attack a hospital. Then there is Riff Tamson, a gleefully violent Karkarodon who tried to make himself king of Dac after murdering the previous monarch and freely admitted he would treat the population like slaves. Oh, and then there is Atai Molec, who in addition to being a Zygerrian, helped murder his queen because she didn't immediately kill several valuable hostages. And if I voiced what my conscience was telling me about Dooku's behavior, I would be murdered and my death blamed on the Republic, just like that Onderonian Senator and her Siniteen friend."

"I have heard those lies the Republic is constantly spewing out about the Confederacy," said Ruusaan. "I would think you would be able to see through such obvious propaganda. In order to achieve victory, the Confederacy needs to makes deals with a lot of people it doesn't like, like the Neimies."

"As much as I enjoy debating who is good and who is bad in the war, that is not why I have come," said Kal. "I am here to save your life. And in order to do that, I need you to cooperate."

"So that is how far you have fallen, to the point you threaten your own daughter's life?" asked Ruusaan.

"I am trying to save your life but I can only do that if you let me help you," replied Kal. "You were caught wearing civilian clothing and concealing explosives while attempting to sabotage a Republic military base. As such, you aren't afforded any of the privileges of being a prisoner of war. On top of that, you are a Corellian citizen, so they are also charging you with treason. If you don't answer who is who in the Denon insurgency, they will kill you. Are you willing to die for a bunch of Dooku's stooges? Especially considering what I just learned?"

"And what exactly, did you learn?" she asked rather disbelievingly.

"Do you know a Selonian named Shrona Bi'il?" asked Kal.

"She was a teenage Selonian who was orphaned when her house was burned down by a Humanocentric jerk and who refused to stand for it when CorSec didn't take her report after being bought off," said Ruusaan. "She burned down the house of that creep, his name was Sal-Solo, and the cops went to punish her for delivering some righteous punishment. It was at that time my group was fleeing Corellia and I happened upon those thugs in uniform. I was a friend of Shrona's older brother and I wasn't going to let her die, so I killed them. Shrona recognized me and learned of what I was doing. She wanted to join me."

"And I suppose she accompanied you to Denon afterward?" Kal asked rhetorically. "At which point she joined the local insurgency along with you and was killed on a mission? Well, that is a lie according to this traffic recording that was recently recovered by a friend of mine." Kal pulled out a holoprojector and activated it. It showed a Selonian walking through an alleyway with several humans in masks, all of whom were carrying blaster rifles slung around their shoulders.

"When can we start to through the Republic off this planet?" asked the Selonian.

"We are starting right now, Bi'il," said one of the humans. He pulled out what looked like a shaped charge.

"A little early to be getting that ready, isn't it?" asked Shrona. "The Republic encampment is thirty blocks away."

"The district mayor's house is just around the corner," said another of the Denon natives, appearing to be the leader. "We will now show him the price of standing against the people."

"You want to blow up his house?" asked Shrona rather shocked. "What about his family and the people working there? They haven't done anything to hurt the cause."

"No but the owner of the house has," said the human leader. "Now he is going to pay for it."

"You can't be serious," said the Selonian. "You are talking about destroying the personal residence of an elected official, regardless of whether he is there or not, and disregarding the safety of his family and his housekeepers!"

"They made their choice when they decided to work for an enemy of the revolution," said the leader. He pulled out his blaster pistol and shot the Selonian right in the chest. "The Confederacy will only be dragged down by weaklings like you and you will draw too much attention to be much help anyway."

"I should never have joined you," said Shrona. "But you will pay!" The Selonian clawed at the man, cutting into his left leg. The terrorist pulled back instantly and shot her repeatedly. He looked up and saw he the camera, firing into it and ending the recording. Kal looked in his daughter's eyes, who was clearly shocked by it.

"Surely something about your friend's death must have been strange, as was that guy's leg injury," the old Sergeant pointed out to his daughter. "You were never stupid, Ruusaan. Whatever lies he told you can't have taken root."

"He said they were going to blow up an armed checkpoint," said Ruusaan, now a bit unsure. "He said the bomb had detonated and a piece of shrapnel had cut his leg."

"Did you see where he had been cut?" asked Kal. "Did it look like a piece of shrapnel?"

"His leg was bandaged up, so I couldn't be sure," answered Ruusaan. "There was something off about him, though."

"Why don't we ask him his story again?" proposed Kal. "We get to see exactly how his leg looks, see how truthful he is. All I need is his name. Then you get to see exactly the sort of person he is." Ruusaan hesitated for a moment, clearly unsure of what to do.

"His name is Brax Joris," she said after a moment. "He owns a speeder garage in that district."

"I will tell my friend immediately," said Kal. "Don't worry, if you continue to cooperate, I can get you out of this." He then got up but was stopped when his daughter grabbed his hand.

"I was a bit unsure about the group I was a part of and was considering leaving when I rescued Shrona," Ruusaan said to her father. "I was a bit unsure about the Denon Rebels as well. If Joris did kill Shrona, I will tell these spooks everything I know, what little it is. But I am still unsure if the Republic is any better. I can't help but wonder why you are doing this."

"Well, hopefully one day we will have a chance to sit down and talk," said Kal. "The least I can do is keep you alive until then." He hugged his daughter tight before walking out of the room. Awaiting him was Obi-Wan Kenobi, who had just walked out of the adjourning room with the two-way mirror.

"Well, I suppose that went better than expected," said Obi-Wan. "How did you find that recording so quickly and how did you know that Shrona Bi'il was an associate of hers?"

"I had one of the Nulls, Jaing, go to Denon to look for things that might help me as soon as I learned what was going on," Kal said. "It wasn't that big a guess to figure Shrona knew Ruusaan. Selonians don't go outside the Corellian system very often. If a Selonian joined the Separatists, it wouldn't be that big a stretch to conclude she knew Corellian Separatists. Even if Ruusaan didn't know Shrona, she still wouldn't go along with murdering innocent people for working at a Republic official's house."

"Yes, I suppose that is logical," said Obi-Wan. "It is too bad about what was done to the Bi'il family."

"Probably members of the Human League," said Skirata. "Tor and Ijaat said they have been gaining a lot of power in the Corellian parliament. They are a gang of Humanocentric jerks who hate every alien there is and who only support the Republic because they think the clone army is evidence the Republic is Humanocentric or something stupid like that."

"Given how Corellia is the home system of both the Selonians and Drall, to say nothing of other nonhumans who immigrated for any number of reasons over the millennia, I am surprised that such bigots could gain political power," said Obi-Wan.

"The racism has always been there, and there are always jerks blaming the loss of their jobs on immigrants being cheaper," said Skirata. "The Human League only has about a quarter of the seats in the Corellian legislature. Unfortunately, with a dozen other parties vying for control, that means that they have the most seats."

"Sadly, the right of assembly can be a drawback," said Obi-Wan.

"It isn't assembly, it is having too many political parties," replied Skirata. "Anyway, I need to send this information to Jaing. Get him tracking down that creep on Denon." The Sergeant then activated his comlink and prepared to call Jaing. As Kal contacted his adopted son and briefed him on what he had learned, Obi-Wan couldn't help but wonder how Ahsoka's mission was going.

Two days earlier, on Coruscant…

Echo followed Ahsoka to the ship that would take them to Nelvaan. Echo had been a little surprised he had been selected as her executive officer, but he was an ARC trooper and he knew her personally. He hadn't had many chances to act as her XO but he would do his best on this recon mission. After leaving the Jedi Temple, they went to a prearranged landing pad. Senator Padme Amidala had volunteered to fly them to Nelvaan and had also offered the services of her protocol droid if they needed to communicate with the natives. Echo would have preferred a covert ops ship to a senator's yacht but the young general thought had other ideas. She had promised to explain her reasons for using the senator's ship when they were underway. A short ride to the landing pad later, and they were face to face with the Naboo senator.

"Ahsoka, it is so nice to see you again," said the senator, as she briefly looked Ahsoka over. "You have changed a bit since we last saw each other." Echo had noticed Ahsoka's changes as well. She had gone from 5'7 to 5'11, her legs had become thicker, her back was stronger, and her arms more muscular. Her abs had also become more well-defined and her chest had become larger as well.

"A lifetime of Jedi training and fighting during the last two years, has that effect," said Ahsoka, hugging the older woman. "It was great to see you again, Padme. May I introduce my executive officer, Echo."

"Nice to meet you, Captain," Padme said as she shook the clone's hand.

"It is a pleasure as well," said Echo. "It is very helpful of you to fly us on our mission."

"It is the least I can do to help end the war," said Padme. "Come onboard and we will be underway shortly." The clone officer followed his general onboard the ship and less than a minute later the ship had taken off. Two minutes later they had cleared Coruscant's gravity well and jumped to hyperspace. After they were safely underway, the Jedi and the clone trooper were greeted by C-3PO.

"Mistress Ahsoka, it is so good to see you again," said the golden protocol droid. Ahsoka had become quite familiar with the droid her master had built as a boy.

"It is nice to see you as well, Threepio," said Ahsoka. "I hope you are ready to help us on our mission."

"Indeed, Mistress Ahsoka," said the droid. "I am fluent in over six million forms of communication, including the Nelvaanian language. Hopefully they will be open to discussion with us."

"Yes, let's hope" said Ahsoka. "It is a long ride to Nelvaan, so we better get some rest. I am going to sleep and I suggest everyone else does as well."

"Of course, Mistress Ahsoka," Threepio said. "I will wake you in the event of an emergency."

After a good night's rest, the three organic members of the expedition were ready to begin their operation. Ahsoka had explained that in order to minimize the risk of detection, they would be shutting down all of the ship's onboard systems apart from life support and engines, which would be at less than half strength. Every loose object had been secured in storage units to ensure they wouldn't interfere with the ship's operation. Then came the real reason why Ahsoka had agreed to use a luxury yacht for a recon mission: it was covered in chrome. With the energy shields disabled, the ship was much less likely to show up on any scanners planetside. It would be vulnerable however, to the heat of entering a planet's atmosphere. Thankfully, the chrome covering would disperse the heat and allow them to enter the planet's atmosphere undetected, perhaps being mistaken for a meteorite if they were detected at all. Ahsoka would take control of the ship and activate the engines when they were in the lower atmosphere, flying below the radar and hopefully avoiding detection. Thankfully, her previous experience as a part of the Gibad mission gave her a good idea of what to do.

"Oh dear, it is times like these I wish Artoo was here," said Threepio as he strapped himself into his seat.

"Don't worry, Threepio, Ahsoka knows what she is doing and the three of us are here to help her land this ship," said Padme as she strapped in as well.

"Coming out of hyperspace in five," said Echo. "Ready to disengage systems on your mark, General."

"Now!" shouted Ahsoka as she dropped out of hyperspace. Echo disengaged all non-critical systems, briefly distracting everyone with the feeling of weightlessness, but they soon recentered themselves. Ahsoka eased the ship closer to the planet, attempting to fool any ground sensors into thinking they were a meteor. After five minutes, they had entered the planet's gravitational field and began falling toward the planet. The entry into Nelvaan's atmosphere was rough, with the ship shaking so hard the four crewmembers would have been flung into the ceiling if they weren't strapped down. Ahsoka was pretty sure she heard Threepio say 'We're doomed!' but she was focusing on the controls. The Force told her now was the moment, so she activated the engines and pulled out of the dive, stabilizing the ship. She then changed course, flying low to avoid detection, to an area forty kilometers away from where the Separatist ships had been landing. She gently set the ship down and breathed a sigh of relief. They had landed on Nelvaan successfully. Now it was time to figure out what was happening on this planet.

**I am a bit ahead of schedule, so I am updating now. For those of you wondering, the Sal-Solo Ruusaan refers to is Thrackan's dad, not Thrackan himself. My reference of how a party that holds a quarter of the seats that is still the majority is a reference to a little known fact: the National Socialist German Workers Party, as it was officially called (Nazi is shorthand for National Socialist,) never had more than forty percent of the seats in the Reichstag by the time Hitler was elected. The reasoning behind why the Human League, which in Legends was basically a gang of Neo-Nazis with a space station that had the capabilities of Starkiller Base, is becoming popular on Corellia is the same reason why the KKK gained massive popularity in the twenties: paranoia about immigrants combined with racism towards traditional minorities. You can think of the Corellian Separatist supporters as the Star Wars equivalent of the Weather Underground: a tiny group of radicals quelled relatively easily by federal services as soon as they became to troublesome. While Ruusaan's doubts have been brought to the surface, she is still having trouble with the idea of the Republic being the good guys, like Lux did after he turned on the Separatists. Imagine the Denon insurgency as the Communist insurgents from El Salvador in the eighties: guys who gain recruits as the result of a corrupt government but are much more vicious about forcing people to accept their ideology. I gave Ahsoka a growth spurt because, by this point in time, she is sixteen and a half, having trained as a dedicated martial artist her whole life and spent the previous two years at war. As shown with Korra, that effect is rather visible regardless of gender. In addition, she is supposed to be 6'2 by the time of Rebels, so I felt I should mention it. Also, sir is a gender neutral title in the Republic military, considering how Ahsoka has been referred to as sir on several occasions and was confirmed by the SWTOR guidebook. My friend 1-1 Marines came up with the idea of chrome being heat resistant, so credit to him.**


	34. Chapter 34

Chapter 34

After hiding the ship and getting on their cold weather equipment, Ahsoka and Echo were ready to disembark and head for the Separatist base. Threepio had accompanied them, knowing his service as a translator would likely be needed, while Padme kept the ship ready for takeoff in case they needed to retreat. Ahsoka was ready to confirm this was just another Separatist droid factory. Mereel had given her a computer virus he had invented that sabotaged droid production. The idea of seeing Grievous through a temper tantrum because his droids were as fragile as a plywood cutout of them on a firing range was very appealing.

Returning her attention back to Echo, Ahsoka reached out with the Force to sense what was coming. "They aren't animals," she concluded. "They must be the natives. Threepio, I am going to need your help with this."

"Of course, Mistress Ahsoka," said the droid. "I am sure I can convince them to help." Less than a minute later, there were a dozen Nelvaanians in front of them, riding creatures that looked similar to the Banthas of Tatooine but having white fur as opposed to brown. The Nelvaanians themselves were canine in appearance, with heads shaped like Kath Hounds and having light blue fur. They had only primitive wooden spears and shields for protection. Ahsoka noticed that most of them appeared to be women. Perhaps they had gone into battle with the Separatists and things went badly for them. One of the Nelvaan scouts then said something in her own language.

"She asks who we are and what we want," translated Threepio.

"Tell her that we are here to help," replied Ahsoka. Threepio again translated, at which point the Nelvaanian responded quickly.

"She is skeptical," said Threepio. "She thinks we are aligned with a group she calls 'the men of metal,' presumably referring to the Separatists."

"Tell her we are enemies of those people and that we will help them however we can," said Ahsoka. Threepio again translated, and the scout leader then responded.

"She is skeptical of our claims," clarified Threepio. "But she is required to take us to her chieftain to hear what we have to say." After the brief discussion, the tribal group led the three Republic operatives to their village. As they entered the village, Ahsoka noticed that there were extremely few men in the village, being mostly filled with women and children. Their battle with the Separatists must have gone very badly. The scout leader led them into a cave and to the side of a cliff sticking out of it. Sitting there was an elder Nelvaanian, whose left eye appeared to be blind. The chieftain then said something in his own language.

"He welcomes us to his village and says that he is obligated to offer shelter from the cold, but he wonders why we are here," Threepio said.

"Tell him that we seek the metal men," replied Ahsoka. Threepio translated and the elder replied.

"He says that everyone who seeks the metal men do not return and that everything has changed since they came," the droid translated.

"How did things change?" asked Echo. After conveying their question and receiving a rather long answer, Threepio translated.

"He says that four months ago a bright object fell from the sky, incinerating everything for five miles, or at least as close as I can translate," the droid started. "He says that when his warriors went to investigate, they saw beings without feet and encased in metal on the site with a large number of what I can only assume are transports. He says that one month after that, the spring thaw did not come as it usually did. He then says that over the last three months, all of his tribe's warriors, either in groups or alone, set out to bring back the thaw. None of them returned and winter has not ended."

Ahsoka was surprised by what he had told her. She had come here expecting to find a droid factory. Instead, it appeared the Separatists, most likely the Techno Union given how the ones described by the elder sounded like Skakoans, were testing a new piece of technology. It was unfortunate but unsurprising that the natives had been unable to defeat the Separatists. Ahsoka also knew that bringing in a fleet of reinforcements would result in a pitched battle that would likely destroy what little the natives had left. As such, she decided to change the plan.

"Where is the impact site?" asked Ahsoka, concluding the impact was likely a turbolaser blast meant to clear out an area for the Separatist base.

"He says that the site ten miles to the northwest," Threepio translated. "He warns that you will not return if you go there."

"Well, he is mistaken," said Ahsoka. "Thank you for what you have done, Threepio, I will take you back to the ship before Echo and I go to investigate."

"Sir, with what we have just learned, I think it is time we call for reinforcements," said Echo. "It seems likely that it is a weapons lab but we can't be sure. Also, we have no idea who is in command or what is guarding the base."

"Come on, Echo, where is your sense of adventure?" asked Ahsoka. "With the two of us, we can handle that base easy. No need to call in reinforcements who will only get killed when the two of us can take it out with no casualties."

"Sir, I don't think this is a time to improvise," said Echo. "The Sep base can't be that big, maybe having a couple ground turbolasers and anti-air turrets, with at least a regiment, possibly a division, of battle droids. If that is the case, we will need reinforcements to defeat them."

"Unless we simply blow up the base from the inside, then there won't be a battle at all and we will have won without casualties," said Ahsoka. "I am tired of people second guessing my judgement. I was right to go after Ventress when Luminara told me not to and I was right to come along on the mission to the Citadel even though Anakin ordered me not to. My instincts on how to proceed with the mission are usually correct, and my instincts here are telling me we can do this alone."

"What if your instincts are wrong, sir?" asked Echo.

"Then we will suffer a minor inconvenience we will easily work around and be otherwise unharmed like we always do," said Ahsoka.

"If you say so, General," Echo said, accepting he would not win this argument. As they escorted Threepio back to the Senator's ship, Echo sighed. General Tano was an effective officer in the field and a reasonably competent strategist, her Marg Sabl maneuver above Ryloth had proved that. She had proven her skill as a fighter in both conventional and unconventional combat on many occasions. Unfortunately, she seemed to have let the success go to her head, considering what she was now planning to do. She had done many amazing things in the time he had known her and even more sense he had been separated from the 501st but she had never gone up against this many Separatists before with only a single ARC trooper for backup. She had done what many people iniatially doubted she could do, so he would give her the benefit of the doubt. Still, he couldn't help but wonder if her time with Kal Skirata had changed her.

Carida…

Kal Skirata was in a much better mood than he was when he first arrived on Carida. Jaing had been able to find Brax Joris and prove that he had indeed killed the Selonian. After being successfully interrogated, Jaing had killed the terrorist at Skirata's behest. Ruusaan had become much more cooperative after being provided with proof of what the Denon insurgents were actually like. She still wasn't particularly happy with him but he was hopeful that they could now start to rebuild their relationship after so long. Unfortunately, fate had a way of intervening. Obi-Wan approached him outside the base after Ruusaan had told him the names of several contacts for the Corellian Separatists.

"I have just received word from Master Zey," said Obi-Wan. "In two days' time, a pair of Republic Intelligence agents will arrive to take Ruusaan to Coruscant on Isard's orders."

"I thought Isard was tied up in a subcommittee after his behavior with Uthan," Skirata said rather surprised.

"He is but he approached the chancellor directly on the matter," said Obi-Wan. "He has convinced Palpatine that you are too close to this and that you should be removed from these interrogations. As soon as the intelligence agents get here, we are to hand her over to them."

"And here I was hoping to secure her freedom legally," said Skirata. "I really did not want to give her a fake poison and have Ordo steal her unconscious body from the morgue after hacking the computer to say that she was cremated by mistake."

"Normally I wouldn't go along with something like that but given Isard's behavior, I can understand wanting to save her from that," said Obi-Wan. "Is there any way I can help at all?"

"I appreciate it, General, but you aren't familiar with this sort of thing," said Skirata. "Just keep them from doing any examinations after this."

"That much I can do," said Obi-Wan. "I hope you are a good actor, otherwise this trick won't hold up. I would wish you luck if I believed in such things. So may the Force be with you."

Skirata went to where Ruusaan was being held. I his hand, he had a pill that caused muscle relaxation to the point where the person who ingested it looked dead for twenty-four hours. He arrived at his daughter's rather primitive cell, with bars on the sliding door and a bunk bed if she needed to share the cell. Thankfully for his plans, there had been very few Separatist terrorists captured alive, so Ruusaan was alone.

"Dad, I have told you everything I know," said Ruusaan. "I have betrayed everyone I worked with for the past year and if I ever get out, they will do everything they can to kill me for it. I don't have much more to say."

"I know but Isard doesn't care," said Kal. "He is sending people here to take you to Coruscant, where you will likely never be seen again. There is nothing I can do to stop him but I can give you this." He then held out the pill. "It will make it look like you are dead for twenty-four hours. Tie the bedsheets around your neck and when the pill takes effect, your muscles will relax, preventing you from being strangled. I normally wouldn't ask that you do this but the situation is desperate."

"What about my body?" asked Ruusaan. "Will it take an autopsy to reveal I am still alive or will they forget about me after my body disappears?"

"I have someone handling that," answered Kal. "Right now, you need to trust me."

"I have after you showed what Brax was like," said Ruusaan. "Alright, I will do it." She took the pill from him and ripped up her bedsheets. "I suppose I will see you on the outside."

Skirata then left the room before the next patrol came by. Ordo had made the cameras run on a loop in order to conceal his visit. Hopefully everything would turn out just the way he had planned.

Nelvaan…

"Are you sure about this, Ahsoka?" asked Padme, concerned for the younger woman. "We could leave and call for reinforcements once we are out of sensor range."

"I know what I am doing, Padme," said Ahsoka. "Besides, this way it doesn't turn into a pitched battle that would likely kill the remaining Nelvaanians in the area."

"I understand you want to minimize civilian casualties, but there could be thousands of droids there, if not active, then in stasis," replied Padme. "We could simply have Threepio tell the tribe to move to a safe distance."

"That cave is the only shelter they have left," said Ahsoka. "If they try to go anywhere else, they would freeze by nightfall."

"Then you could simply go on a mission to scout their defenses, sabotage their shields if they have any, and I would go to bring in the fleet to attack the facility," said Padme.

"If my mission succeeds, there won't be any casualties apart from the Seps and their clankers," concluded Ahsoka. Threepio was about to say something when she cut him off. "And Jedi beat the odds all the time, so don't try to dissuade me either."

"Ahsoka, I have limited military expertise but wouldn't this mission have a better chance of success if you had an army backing you up?" asked Padme.

"The only thing an army could do in this situation is lure the majority of the defenses away from the target I want to destroy," said Ahsoka. "I hated the idea on Geonosis and I still hate it. It is a stupid strategy Luminara forced Anakin to accept and it is only used by idiots who have no concept of actual tactics."

"I see," said Padme, rather uneasy about the reminder of how she sacrificed two thousand Gungans to distract the Trade Federation on Naboo. It had seemed like the only option but the number of deaths still bothered her. "Well, Jedi have accomplished great things before. I suppose this will be no different."

"Thank you for the vote of confidence," said Ahsoka. "Echo and I will likely need to go radio silent, so you might not hear from us for a while. If we aren't back in a day's time, call for reinforcements."

"I will keep the ship ready for takeoff," replied Padme. "If everything goes the way you want, I won't need to call them."

"Indeed you won't," Ahsoka said before departing with Echo.

Unknown location…

Ruusaan woke up in a medical bay, wearing a hospital gown. She tried to get up but then realized she was restrained to the bed.

"Sorry about that," a voice said from across the room. "I couldn't be sure how you would react when you woke up, so I needed to take precautions." A clone then walked into the room, whose armor had red stripes.

"Where are my clothes, clone?" demanded Ruusaan.

"They were removed, as per standard procedure when someone dies and is about to be examined," replied the clone. "Also, my name is Ordo, so I suggest you remember that, considering I got you out of there. There is a change of clothes right over there," he pointed to a stack next to the bathroom, "and you can change in there."

"Where am I, where is dad?" she asked as she got up and grabbed the pile of clothes.

"You are on a privately owned ship I took to Carida," said the clone. "As for Kal'buir, he is still on Carida, playing the part of the grieving father who is now enraged at how the security didn't stop your suicide and that your corpse was cremated as a bureaucratic error before he was even aware of it." Ruusaan was shocked, she had not practiced her Mandalorian in many years but she still knew that Buir meant parent, since the language didn't have gender pronouns. It figured that her father would use one of the clones he had chosen over her to do this.

"Look, I know you are probably jealous towards me, but now is not the time for this," said the clone called Ordo. "We will be arriving at Mandalore in several hours. We have a place there we can hide you."

"I suppose I have little choice," said Ruusaan. After changing into her new clothes, she sat down in a nearby chair, contemplating what would happen next.

**As you can see, Ruusaan is not pleased at the idea of a clone being her brother. I described the Nelvaanians as close to their appearance in the Micro-series as I could. I figured I could mention the sabotage virus the Nulls invented in this chapter. Also, I decided Ahsoka would likely become somewhat arrogant on account of her recent successes, as well as lampshade how often she and Anakin ignored orders in the show and things turned out better for it (though Luminara wasn't lacking in arrogance in that episode either.) Ahsoka doesn't know that the Battle of the Grassy Plains was Padme's plan, which was admittedly desperate, so she isn't deliberately hurting Padme's feelings. I figured I would also point out one of the oddities of Mando'a.**


	35. Chapter 35

Chapter 35

After leaving the Naboo star yacht, Ahsoka and Echo trekked towards the impact site. After three hours of walking, they finally arrived where the elder Nelvaanian had directed them. Echo pulled out his macrobinoculars and scouted the horizon. In addition, he pulled a probe droid out of his backpack and threw it into the air to survey the other side of the site. Normally they would not have used such technology on a spy mission but this drone was small enough to be mistaken for a bird and it operated with a preprogrammed flight path, eliminating the need for a control signal. He flipped through several vision modes before finally finding something.

"General, there is a large heat signature in the southwest sector," said Echo. "All the heat in the area seems to be drawn into it."

"Are there any openings nearby?" asked Ahsoka. Echo looked again with his macrobinoculars, this time surveying the terrain.

"There is a large opening right there," he said, pointing to a cave opening. "I do not sense any droids or other defenses there, however."

"Is there any other opening?" asked Ahsoka. Echo looked again and the drone returned as well.

"No, sir," said Echo, who then looked at the probe and plugged it into his datapad. "The readings are the same on the other side as well. There are no other openings in the area that might lead us to the anomaly. At least none large enough for us to fit in."

"Then it looks like we will have to go spelunking," said Ahsoka. "Let's move out."

After programming the probe to return to Padme's ship with a status update, Ahsoka and Echo continued on their way. Echo pulled a pair of snow-colored ghillie suits, with heat conservation fabric, to disguise themselves from any sensors hidden from view. After an hour of slowly crawling toward the cave, they entered the cavern. The first thing Ahsoka noticed was just how warm it had become inside the cave.

"It is sixty-eight degrees Fahrenheit, sir," said Echo as he took off his ghillie suit and began adjusting his armor temperature settings. Clone trooper armor was capable of operating in a variety of conditions. When they had arrived the previous day, the temperature outside was forty degrees. Now it was thirty. Something unnatural was definitely making this planet colder.

"Then we are definitely on the right track," replied Ahsoka as she discarded her own ghillie suit, along with her coat. It seemed that there was indeed some form of new technology here, one that was siphoning heat from the whole planet.

"Where is the heat going?" she asked Echo, putting on the night-vision goggles she had brought with her. He looked at his scanner, calibrating it to look for heat trails.

"Right this way," he said, pointing toward where the heat seemed to be strongest. Walking carefully, they proceeded deeper into the cave, the walls getting increasingly hot. After walking for about 30 minutes, Echo suddenly stopped.

"Sir, there is a proximity sensor three feet in front of us," said Echo. He pointed toward a rock with a small opening.

"Looks like we will need to be a little careful," said Ahsoka, crouching along with Echo. Most proximity sensors used by the Separatists could only detect people if they were standing upright. Thankfully, this was no exception. After making it past the sensor's radius, the two got back up and were about to continue on their way when Ahsoka saw something dangling from the ceiling. It was a shock net launcher. This one in particular was rather large, used for capturing creatures like the Reek. Clearly it was meant as a trap against any Nelvaan warriors who attempted to go this way. But that raised another question: why would the Separatists capture Nelvaanians? Ahsoka had a feeling she wouldn't like the answer.

After getting past the sensor and the trap, they saw a light coming from an opening at the end of the tunnel. Once they reached it, Ahsoka took off her goggles while Echo recalibrated his visor for normal lighting. Upon walking through the opening, they saw a massive structure. It was shaped like a giant mushroom, with two openings that looked like pure blue eyes. It was at least fifty feet tall, with an energy column ascending into an antenna. Borrowing Echo's macrobinoculars, Ahsoka saw that at the tip was a crystal, encased in a force field. Switching to thermal imaging, she saw that all the heat was being directed upward into the crystal, which was then converting it to energy and disseminating it in several different directions.

"Sir, I see something to the left," Echo said. Ahsoka switched back to normal mode and turned to the left. That is when she saw someone she was not expecting to see. Standing on a catwalk alongside several Skakoans was an overweight Neimoidian she previously had seen die. General Lok Durd was the man behind what was happening on Nelvaan.

"It figures someone as disgusting as Durd would be in charge of this," said Ahsoka, "but how is this possible?"

"Sir, we can worry about how he survived Dansitius later," said Echo. "Right now, we need to find a way up."

"I will go first and then I will lift you up from with the Force," said Ahsoka. "I know that climbing gear would be preferable but I think even battle droids would notice climbing ropes." She ran up to the side of the wall and used the Force to launch herself into an alcove just below the first catwalk, then she pulled Echo up with the Force. Leaning back, Echo looked for patrolling droids on the floor above them. After one battle droid walked past their position, Echo nodded that the coast was clear. Ahsoka jumped up onto the catwalk and then pulled Echo up as well. They ducked into a corridor before the droid turned around. Stealthily evading the battle droids, they made their way to the upper level. Hiding behind a corner, Ahsoka and Echo overheard what Durd was saying to the Skakoan scientists.

"General, you may be the officer in charge of this project, but I am the head scientist," said one of the Skakoans. "At this stage, specimen control cannot be guaranteed."

"Then do everything to guarantee it!" yelled the overweight Neimoidian. "I need something to prove my worth to Count Dooku. He told me to go to the Republic capital to meet a supposed Jedi defector, even after I told him it was likely to be a trick. Thankfully I had the Kaminoans make a clone of me I sent in my place. When he learned that I had sent the clone in my place, he accused me of disloyalty, even after it turned out the defector was only using us. This project will prove once and for all I am a valuable part of the Confederate military. Now where is the final specimen?"

"We are about to begin the procedure now, sir," said the scientist. "Right this way." Ahsoka had a feeling that these specimens were captured Nelvaanians. Her intuition proved to be correct when she saw several liquid-filled tanks. Inside were gigantic, twisted creatures that vaguely resembled Nelvaanians, each of them their left arms amputated and replaced with repeating blasters. Ahsoka could sense the pain emanating from the mutated Nelvaanians.

"Just when you think you have seen everything," said Echo.

"Another thing Durd is going to pay for," said Ahsoka. "Let's get to it." Ahsoka and Echo rushed down to the area she sensed Durd's presence. Once there, they saw a normal-looking Nelvaanian restrained inside a tank. They could overhear Durd talking.

"I told you that if we took their heat they would come to us," said Durd. "Soon it will be so cold their entire tribe will come in a last, desperate attempt to stop us, and they will be caught like the rest."

"I am looking forward to seeing how the procedure effects their young," said the Skakoan leader. "I am always eager to expand my research."

Deciding that she had enough of listening to these sadists, Ahsoka jumped down and sliced through a pair of Super Battle Droids. Echo shot the Skakoan technician who was moving to activate the tank. The explosion resulting from the ignition of the suit's methane took out a whole squad of B1s and cracked the tank.

"Oh, this is just wonderful," said Durd. "Your master already ruined my plans twice, you won't do the same!" He rammed his hand down on a button, activating several lifts that moved the other tanks up to the top level. The tanks opened and the mutant Nelvaanians fell out.

"Sir, we haven't properly tested their restraints," said one of the scientists.

"Then now is their test, hoot the Jedi!" shouted Durd. The behemoths lumbered forward, gurgling noises coming out of their mouths. They raised their blaster arms and opened fire, forcing Echo to take cover and Ahsoka to deflect the blaster shots. The blasters had been set to stun, so they dissipated upon contact with her lightsabers.

"Sir, I don't think my blaster even set to kill would get through those hides of theirs," said Echo. "What do we do?"

Before Ahsoka could say anything, the Nelvaan scout, whose transformation they had stopped, broke out of his tank. He grabbed a broken pipe that had once been attached to his tank and jammed it into the massive belt one of the mutants was wearing. He used it to break the belt, causing an electrostatic discharge that caused the mutant to collapse. He then turned to Ahsoka and Echo and said something in his own language. They didn't need Threepio to translate that he was telling them to break the belts.

"Echo, shoot the belts!" Ahsoka ordered. Echo accurately placed his shots to destroy the devices that had enslaved the mutated natives, while Ahsoka carefully cut the restraints. Within twenty seconds, all the restraints were destroyed and the Nelvaan mutants fell to the floor.

"Get every battle droid in here now!" shouted Durd. He then ran for the exit along with the Skakoan scientists. One of the scientists attempted to follow but he was grabbed by the unaltered Nelvaanian before he could move through the exit corridor. The Nelvaan scout was about to stab the scientist with a jagged piece of metal but Echo grabbed his arm. "Don't hurt him!" said Echo. "Or boom.'" He made an explosion expression with his hands to get the point across. Thankfully, their new friend understood him. Ahsoka pulled the sadistic scientist close to her.

"Where is the override for the lockdown?!" she demanded.

"You should just surrender now," said the Skakoan rather smugly. "You can't threaten me without hurting your-"he was cut off when Ahsoka started to choke him with the Force.

"I don't need to breech your suit in order to kill you," Ahsoka retorted. "Where is the override?"

"I don't know, but the power monitoring station can deactivate the shield," said the Skakoan, terrified that the captives he had experimented on were now awake. "You will need me to safely shut it down."

"Sir, clankers incoming!" shouted Echo. A platoon of B1 and B2 battle droids rushed towards them, opening fire. Ahsoka deflected the shots fired at her and ensured they didn't hit the Skakoan either. Several of the mutant Nelvaanians fired back, destroying several B1s but only slowing down the B2s. Thankfully, the mutation process seemed to have toughened the hide of the Nelvaanians, as they barely reacted when they themselves were shot. Their strength had also improved, and they were able to smash and tear apart the droids. Echo, taking cover behind the mutated natives, fired back with his blaster, destroying several more. Ahsoka sliced through the remaining droids.

"Echo, as soon as our new friend disables the shield, get ready to move as fast as you can. I will be right behind you," instructed Ahsoka.

"Roger that, sir," said Echo. After Ahsoka followed the captive Skakoan, he set up several antipersonnel mines with laser tripwires to deal with any droid that might come. After cutting through several more droids on the way to the power control station, Ahsoka and the captive scientist arrived at the control panel.

"I am in contact with Echo, if you don't deactivate the shield, I will kill you," threatened Ahsoka. The Skakoan, knowing the consequences of deceiving her, started pressing a series of buttons on the control panel. After a minute, Ahsoka was contacted by Echo.

The conversion chamber…

"Thank you, sir," Echo said to Ahsoka over the comlink. "The shield is down. We'll wait for you to exit."

"No, Echo," responded Ahsoka. "You and the Nelvaan captives get out of there. I will be right behind you."

"Sir, we can wait for you and there are a lot of battle droids in here," said Echo.

"That is an order, Echo," replied Ahsoka. "I can handle the droids. I will be with you as soon as I can."

"Roger that, sir," Echo said. He then looked at the unmutated Nelvaan scout, who, despite the language barrier, had identified himself as Harvos. Thankfully, Harvos had understood the gist of the conversation and instructed the others to go through the corridor to the surface. There were several droids in their path but the mutant Nelvaanians quite literally smashed through them. Echo followed close behind, using one of the Nelvaanians as cover. Soon they reached the surface. When they got to the surface, however, Echo saw that there was now a group of battle droids on an elevated position, out of range of the stun blasters the Nelvaan mutants had grafted into them. At the center was a B2 with a rocket launcher attachment instead of the standard wrist blaster. Right next to him was the Neimoidian general Ahsoka had called Durd.

"Fire!" yelled Durd. The B1s opened fire, their blaster bolts slowly but surely hurting the native warriors. The B2, on the other hand, fired a rocket. The explosion knocked several Nelvaanians off their feet, leaving them lying on the ground with pieces of shrapnel imbedded in them. The warrior it hit directly however, was nothing more than a smear of blood and a collection of small pieces of bone and muscle. Echo, having taken cover close to that Nelvaanian, was not much better. His right arm had been shredded by the explosion, leaving nothing but a bloody stump, it happening so fast he didn't even feel it. Echo knew that if he didn't stop the bleeding, he would bleed to death. So, with his remaining arm, he grabbed his blaster pistol, shoved it into the stump, and fired, the blaster and burning the wound closed. The pain was so intense that he ended up passing out. Just before losing consciousness, he felt the ground rumbling and heard what sounded like more explosions.

Two minutes earlier…

"How do I turn off the siphon generator?" Ahsoka demanded of her Skakoan captive.

"I can do it easily, just let me start-"then he ducked just as a group of battle droids entered the room and started firing at her. Ahsoka was able to dodge their attacks and tossed one of her lightsabers through five of them. She ripped through the rest as she leapt to their position, regaining hold on her other lightsaber before destroying the last six. She then turned back to the Skakoan, whom she lifted off the ground with her own strength.

"I am sorry, I won't do that again. I will disable the generator now," the Skakoan said hastily.

"Your droids already broke the controls," said Ahsoka, gesturing to the control panel that had been hit with at least six blaster bolts. "But if you insist-" She tossed him over the edge of the catwalk before using the force to send him flying into the geothermal crystal matrix. Ahsoka started running. The Separatist scientist collided with the crystal and the electricity ignited the methane inside his pressure suit. The explosion destroyed the crystal, causing a chain reaction that destroyed the generator and the complex. Ahsoka was able to jump through an opening in the ceiling as the complex fell apart, and she rolled to the side to avoid the explosive force following her. After a few seconds, Ahsoka saw the Hardcell class transport a short distance away. Durd and his scientists would undoubtedly attempt to escape using it. Something she had no intention of allowing. After using her Force senses to ensure that Echo and most of the Nelvaanians were still alive, she sent a massive force push to knock the ship onto its side, trapping most of the Skakoans inside it. Four other Skakoans pointed blasters at her but a geyser, probably caused by the escaping energy from the complex, burst forth from where they were standing and destroyed them. Two other Skakoans slipped and fell into one of the openings, crashing down into their now crumbling laboratory. Ahsoka then telekinetically gripped the Skakoan scientist whom she recognized as the one who intended to experiment on Nelvaan children. With a flick of her wrist, his breath tubes were ripped off, causing his suit to implode and crush the sadistic scientist. With the Skakoans dealt with, she reached out with her senses to locate Durd, finding him in a newly created crevasse the transport was leaning into. He was desperately trying to hold onto a ledge to avoid falling to his death.

"I will tell you everything I know, just save me," begged Durd.

"I heard your monologue about how Dooku doesn't value you," said Ahsoka. "I don't either. Consider this a summary execution for all that you have done." Then she used the Force to cause the Hardcell to fall into the crevasse, crushing Durd beneath it. The ship continued falling all the way to the floor of the base, exploding and killing the last of the Skakoan scientists. After ensuring that the last of the Separatists on the planet were dead, she turned to where she felt Echo and the Nelvaanians were. Rushing over, she saw that Echo was unconscious, several of the Nelvaanians were injured, and from the look of it at least one was dead.

"Echo!" she shouted upon seeing that his right arm was gone. Noticing that he had crudely seared the wound shut, she opened her comlink and contacted Padme.

"Ahsoka, what is going on?" Padme asked over the comm channel. "We just detected a massive explosion at the impact site, now the temperature is rising."

"Not now, Padme!" shouted Ahsoka. "Echo has lost an arm. He needs help now!"

"I am on my way," said Padme. Given how grave Echo's condition was, Ahsoka decided to wait until later to tell her what else had occurred.

**I hope you enjoyed my rendition of the Mission to Nelvaan at the end of the micro series. I had there be a trap in the tunnel so Durd wouldn't have to go out and catch Nelvaan scouts directly. I concluded their hides had been thickened to strengthen them against blasters, considering how it looked almost like blubber. I had her pick up the Skakoan captive without aid of the Force to show how she has gotten stronger. If you were wondering about Durd's Dangerously Genre Savvy behavior, he acquired it in the Gambit novel duology, where it was said he hired Kaminoans to make him an antidote for the bioweapon he was creating that would only work for him, so I decided he also had them clone him. Imagine the exploded Nelvaanian as looking like a Nazi in Wolfenstein the New Order who you just shot with a rocket or the LaserKraftWerk at full power.**


	36. Chapter 36

Chapter 36

It had been a day since the destruction of the Separatist base on Nelvaan. After returning the surviving test subjects to their village, Ahsoka and the others left the planet for the Star Destroyer at the edge of the system. Padme had informed the Destroyer, named the Allegiance, of what was going on and it had come to the edge of the system to provide support if needed. The Imperator-class warship had just been assigned to Ahsoka's command and was on its way to Coruscant to pick up her troops after rolling off the line at Kuat. While Ahsoka had been happy to receive such a ship, showing that she was indeed valued, she was not happy about who had been assigned as captain. Kendal Ozzel was the last person she would have chosen as her captain. She hadn't met him yet but what she had heard of him did not inspire confidence in him. Plo Koon had talked about how he had ignored a perfectly valid plan on the part of Plo and Kit Fisto during the Battle of Khorm for no discernable reason, getting Commander Wolfe's left eye destroyed and almost costing Republic forces the battle. They also reported that he had disregarded the wellbeing of clone troopers, considering them expendable. Admiral Yularen, who had studied alongside Ozzel, said that he had only graduated because of family connections and did not think women had any right to be on the battlefield. After hearing everything about him, she planned to remove him from his position as the captain.

"This is General Ahsoka Tano, requesting permission to land," she said over the comm channel. "Transmitting clearance code now."

"Code accepted," said the flight controller. "Welcome aboard the Allegiance, sir." Ahsoka guided the ship in and landed in the shuttle bay. She then helped Echo off the yacht to the medical bay. After leaving him with the medical droid, she walked outside to head to the bridge. She was surprised that Padme was just outside.

"Padme, I don't need you to hold my hand here, I can handle Ozzel, you can leave if you want," Ahsoka said.

"Before I could take off again, the doors sealed and we made the jump to hyperspace," Padme responded.

"Then come along as I ask Ozzel why he jumped to hyperspace without orders," Ahsoka said, annoyed that Ozzel had not even waited for her order.

"Don't be too hard on him," Padme said. "How is Echo doing?"

"He is going in for examination now," Ahsoka said as they walked to the bridge. Eventually, at the corner to the door to the bridge was an officer looking away. Through her montrals, she heard what sounded like mumbling about how she had wasted her time looking out for a single soldier.

"Captain Ozzel?" Ahsoka asked somewhat aggressively. The man turned around and looked at her.

"General Tano, I didn't see you there," said the mustached officer. "I didn't know Senator Amidala was coming."

"You took off into hyperspace before she exited," said Ahsoka, coming rather close to the five foot eight inch man, who she was three inches taller than. "Why did you not wait for my order? And where is your salute?"

"Sorry, sir," said Ozzel, bringing a somewhat relaxed salute up. Ahsoka could sense that this man had dismissed her as a little girl who he could ignore as he pleased, so she was going to show him who was in control. "I just figured that, with the Senator heading to Coruscant as well, she could leave the ship when we exited hyperspace. Unless, she wanted to attempt to negotiate with the Separatists?" Unlike his attitude towards Ahsoka, he didn't even try to hide his dismissal of Padme.

"I am done trying to negotiate with them," Padme said, ignoring his barb towards her. "The worst of the Separatists are in charge, the ones open to peace are powerless."

"Well, at least you will no longer be disappointed by their endless betrayals," said Ozzel. "Is there anything else, General?"

"Yes, write a letter of transfer, get off my ship as soon as we get to Coruscant," Ahsoka ordered. This shocked Padme, Ozzel, and the bridge crew as well. They had been expecting a reprimand but to relieve a captain for such a minor mistake was rather surprising.

"Are you retarded?" Ahsoka asked as she lifted Ozzel off his feet when she grabbed his uniform. "Write a transfer letter and then get off my ship." She then dropped him back down.

"Sir, if you are angry about me not waiting for your order, I can give you my word as an officer that I won't do so again," said the captain.

"Are you deaf as well as stupid?" Ahsoka demanded. "Go to your cabin, collect your shit, then write a transfer letter off my ship." Ozzel seemed to get the message that time, leaving the bridge rather humiliated in front of the crew.

"Was that necessary?" asked Padme. "Yeah, he was a bit of a jerk but you didn't need to fire him."

"I was going to remove him regardless of how he acted," Ahsoka said. "Let someone else put up with him, because I won't."

"That is a little harsh," Padme said. "You haven't even given him an opportunity to prove himself. I suggest you give him the opportunity to command in battle, he might be the sort of person you want commanding your ship."

"Do you think I haven't put any thought into this?" asked Ahsoka, somewhat annoyed. "I want him off my ship and that is final."

"You are in command, so if you want him removed, I guess you can remove him," said Padme, somewhat disappointed Ahsoka had rejected her advice.

"Commander," Ahsoka said to the nearest officer, a Lieutenant Commander.

"Yes, sir?" said the man, ten years older than Ahsoka but still rather afraid of antagonizing her.

"I am going to my quarters," she said. "If there is any trouble, inform me."

"Understood, sir," said the man. Ahsoka then walked off the bridge.

"What is your name, Commander?" Padme asked.

"Needa, Senator," he answered.

"Don't be nervous," said Padme. "Ahsoka has had a rather stressful day, I am sure she will be more reasonable after a good night's sleep."

"If you say so," he said. "I have heard nothing but good things about the captain. If she gives him the chance, I am sure she will have no problem with him."

Coruscant, one day later…

After arriving on Coruscant and delegating the landing of the Allegiance to Lieutenant Commander Needa, Ahsoka hitched a ride down to the planet with Padme. Instead of landing at her private landing pad, Padme landed at the Executive Building itself. After touching down, Ahsoka and Padme walked out, where they were greeted by several senators.

"It is nice to see you again, young Tano," said Bail Organa.

"I am a Jedi Knight now," Ahsoka retorted. "You will call me Master or General."

"I am sure that Bail didn't mean anything by it, Ahsoka," Padme interjected.

"I am sorry if I offended you, Master Tano," Bail apologized.

"Just don't call me that again and I won't be offended," said Ahsoka. "When is the next bus for the Temple district arriving?"

"In two minutes," said Mon Mothma. "Padme, if you will follow us, I have an idea to open negotiations with the Separatists." Ahsoka rolled her eyes upon hearing that. From what Anakin had told her, Mothma was a barely functional retard who stubbornly tried to hurt the war effort in the hopes of making negotiations with the Separatists necessary, even though they had repeatedly shown how untrustworthy they were.

"I am done trying to negotiate with the Separatists, Mon," Padme said. "The ones willing to meet us are powerless, the rest are barbarians who should be caged like the criminals they are." Ahsoka smiled, it was about time that Padme showed she was smarter than the idiots she worked with in the senate. Before Mothma could continue, Padme walked away, towards where Ahsoka sensed Anakin's presence. Ahsoka smirked at the knowledge two of her best friends would be able to spend time together as she headed for the speeder bus. Before she boarded, however, she bumped into someone she herself was pleased to see.

"Ahsoka?" Lux Bonteri said rather surprised.

"Hi Lux," she said to her friend. "I just got back from dismantling another Separatist war crime factory."

"That is great to hear," he said. "You look great, by the way."

"Thanks, Lux," Ahsoka said as her stripes darkened. "You are looking rather good yourself." After the Onderon operation, Lux had kept up with the training administered to him and the other rebels. He had clearly benefitted from it.

"Well, I figured I should impress you after you took off after that interrogation session," he said.

"You are lucky you have," she smirked. "I am going to the Jedi Temple for debriefing. After that, I would like to go on that date I promised you."

"My pleasure," he smiled back. "I'll see you then." She then surprised him by kissing him on the cheek before getting on the speeder bus.

Jedi Temple, forty five minutes later…

After arriving at the Jedi Temple, Ahsoka went to the Jedi Council chamber to tell them what had happened on Nelvaan.

"So, it was another of Durd's war crimes projects," said Obi-Wan, having seen Durd's bioweapon project on Lanteeb and read the report of his activities on Maridun. Apart from herself and Anakin, he had the most experience with Durd. "How are the natives doing?"

"They are all free of Separatist control, master, but they are still seven and a half feet tall, three times as big as the average Nelvaan male, and missing their right arms," said Ahsoka. "Padme wanted to request aid for them but it will take some time to get the necessary healthcare for them."

"Perhaps provide aid ourselves, we could," said Yoda. "Look for volunteer healers, we will."

"I am sure that we can find volunteers," said Obi-Wan. "Unfortunately, from the way Ahsoka described it, they will likely need biologists, conventional doctors, and advanced medical equipment to treat them effectively. With the war on, that could prove difficult."

"Perhaps Tryn Netzl will help, as he did with the last of Durd's projects," said Kit Fisto. "Speaking of which, Ahsoka, what happened to Durd?"

"He tried to flee again, so I destroyed his ship before it could take off," Ahsoka lied, as she didn't want to hear an endless lecture criticizing summary punishment. "He and all the Skakoan scientists were killed in the explosion."

"I suppose it is best that he didn't escape," said Plo Koon. "There is only one more matter."

"Echo is recuperating just fine and he will soon receive a prosthetic arm to replace the one he lost," said Ahsoka.

"That is good but not what I was referring to," clarified the Kel Dor. "I have just received a message from Admiral Nils Tenant. He wants to know why you have relieved Captain Ozzel from duty without so much as a battle."

"You made it pretty clear in your description of him that he was an incompetent officer, Master Plo," said Ahsoka. She didn't mention that he only received credit for the victory that promoted him because of Plo's excess modesty. "That is not the sort of person I would entrust with my ship or army."

"I suppose that I didn't paint a very good picture of him when I talked about the Battle of Khorm," Plo answered. "Still, that was a ground battle and Ozzel was a naval officer, so he was likely out of his depth."

"I heard he only graduated because of family connections," Ahsoka answered.

"Admiral Tenant is right outside, so you should talk to him about this," said Plo. Nils Tenant was an officer who had little, if any, combat experience outside of some anti pirate missions early in his career and was promoted to rear admiral when he showed up with a Star Destroyer that ended a battle that had already been won. It figured he would stick up for another officer unworthy of his position. "I suggest you at least hear him out before you have Ozzel transferred." Ahsoka walked out of the council chamber, seeing Tenant at the end of the hall.

"You must be young Tano," said Tenant. "I assume that your masters have told you why-"

"It is General," Ahsoka cut him off, reminding the Rear Admiral she technically outranked him. She had no patience for people who didn't respect her. "I have nothing to say to you. I want Ozzel off my ship immediately."

"You haven't even heard what I am going to say," Tenant said.

"I don't need to, I made up my mind and I have probably seen more action in the last year than you have your whole career," Ahsoka said. "I don't need the input of Ozzel or you, admiral. Now process the paperwork for his transfer, it is all you are good at anyway."

"I was here to tell you that Captain Ozzel was the chancellor's personal recommendation for your captain and that he asked you give Ozzel a chance as your captain," said the admiral, clearly angry at how her flagrant disrespect for him.

"And you will tell Palpatine I appreciate his input but Ozzel is a worthless officer unfit to command a scout ship," she retorted. "If he wants to keep idiots like you and Ozzel around, fine, that is his prerogative. I, however, will not put up with him. And where is your salute, Tenant? Should I have you detained for your disrespect?"

"No, sir," Tenant said, saluting after realizing the reality of the situation. "Is there anything else you need, sir?"

"Only for you to stay out of my way," Ahsoka said. She then walked past him, heading for the landing pad. It was time for her and Lux to officially become more than just friends.

**Imagine Lux being as muscular and athletic as Mako from LOK, since I have already made Ahsoka into a Jedi Korra. I haven't read Tarkin, so sorry if I got Tenant wrong. I also figured it was time for Padme to grow a brain regarding the failure of diplomacy. Needa is a young officer who doesn't know Ozzel very well, only that he has Palpatine's favor. Also, in Legends, he was close to Ozzel for whatever reason by the time of EMPIRE. I named the Star Destroyer Allegiance in reference to the novel. If you think that Ahsoka is acting a bit out of character, she is only hostile towards those who she thinks don't respect her and she has been under a bit of stress recently. I made a few references to the Gambit duology, if you can spot them. My friend 1-1 Marines will be writing a Luxsoka smutfic that will take place immediately after this.**


	37. Chapter 37

Opening her eyes, Ahsoka awoke. Turning to the right, she saw Lux next to her, his arm holding her close. She smiled as she got up and moved to get dressed.

"Forget my misgivings, that was amazing," she heard Lux as he got up as well. She smirked at the sight of his bare chest, being rather muscular for a boy his age, no doubt a result of the training he had kept up since the Onderon Rebellion.

"I thought so too," Ahsoka said. After they got dressed, they walked out of the apartment, opening the door to a very surprised Padme.

"Ahsoka, I didn't know you were here," Padme said. "Did you…?"

"Yes, we have been dating for two months, it was going to happen sooner or later," Ahsoka answered. "Just don't tell Anakin, I don't want him to learn yet."

"So you want to tell him of Lux's proposal yourself?" Padme asked.

"I haven't, yet," said Lux.

"And as much as I would love to say yes, there isn't much time for a wedding right now," Ahsoka finished. "But that isn't why you came here."

"No, I came to talk to Lux about what happened on Nelvaan," Padme answered.

"What is Nelvaan?" asked Lux.

"It's an isolated forest planet," said Ahsoka. "The perfect spot for more Separatist cruelty." She then went on to recount what had happened on the planet.

"That is horrible," said Lux when she finished her story.

"What is even worse is that there is no way for the Nelvaanians to recover on their own," Padme said. "They have yet to invent the wheel, much less advanced medicine. Unfortunately, with the war on, there are little resources I can get the senate to spare in order to deliver the help they sorely need. And the equipment and qualified doctors are extremely expensive. Bail Organa gave me a list of doctors who could help and a large sum of money to pay them yesterday but it won't be enough."

"I will see what I can spare," Lux said, eager to help more victims of Separatist crimes. Ahsoka smiled, it was nice to know the man she loved was willing to help.

Hyperspace, transport ship, two days ago…

After successfully giving the impression of a father grieving at his daughter's death, Skirata joined Obi-Wan on the transport that would take them back to Coruscant.

"Is she safe now?" Obi-Wan asked, confident they were no longer being watched.

"Yes, though she is still a bit angry with me judging by the message I got from Ordo," Skirata answered.

"Well, I hope that conversation turns out well," Obi-Wan replied.

"Thank you, now it is back to business," said Skirata, referring to Plo Koon's request that he help open up discussion with the Nite Owls. While the Republic had restricted travel to Kalavela after it was revealed that Darth Maul had taken control of the planet, they were still reluctant to take military action against Death Watch. After the plot where Death Watch attempted to trick the Republic into invading in an effort to gain support, Obi-Wan realized it would be hard to dislodge Darth Maul without local help. The thing was, the only organized resistance to Death Watch rule was the splinter group the Nite Owls, led by Bo-Katan Kryze. While allying with them was the best option, Palpatine was afraid that supporting one terrorist group over another was a bad idea, even if they had helped Obi-Wan and refused to talk with them. The council, recognizing his concerns, but also knowing their options for solving the situation were limited, did not know what to do. Upon learning that Kal Skirata had a pair of sons in the unit, however, they learned of a way to contact the Nite Owls. Ahsoka had informed him of their request and he agreed. Now that the situation with his daughter was resolved, he now had to talk to his sons. After a minute, the communication line was opened.

"Dad?" asked Tor, wearing Mandalorian armor.

"Hello, Tor, it has been a while," Skirata said to his son.

"I am glad to see you but Ijaat and I are in the middle of something," said Tor.

"I understand but this will help you and your new friends immeasurably," said Kal. "I need to meet you and Ijaat in two days on the Wheel." The Wheel was a circular space station in the Besh Gorgon system. The station was built sixty-two years before the start of the clone wars. Originally built as a spice refinery, it had started to branch into the casino business. Declaring neutrality, it was the perfect place for people to meet covertly.

"I will tell Ijaat and Bo-Katan," said Tor. "Just be sure it is worthwhile, she will kill us if it isn't."

"It will be," said Kal. "I will tell you more in person."

One day later, after Kal and Obi-Wan made their report about Ruusaan's apparent death, they were taking the Aay'han to the Wheel. Plo Koon iniatially wanted to come but Obi-Wan reasoned that he would be a better choice given his familiarity with the Mandalorians and the Council agreed. Ahsoka was now helping Padme raise money to help the Nelvaanians who had been mutated by Durd's experiments, so she couldn't come either.

After landing on the station, Obi-Wan and Skirata headed to the spacer's cantina near the docking bay. They quickly spot a pair of men wearing Mandalorian armor. One had a blue helmet, the other had a green one. One of them walked up to Skirata.

"Dad?" asked the green one.

"Ijaat?" replied Skirata.

"Nice to see you again," said Ijaat as he hugged his father. "You didn't mention you were bringing a friend."

"This is a friend of mine that can help the Nite Owls reclaim Kalavela," said Skirata.

"Great, then he can tell Bo herself," said the blue one. "She is waiting at a Holonet uplink in our ship. She wants to be sure you aren't wasting her time."

The two awakened Mandalorians led their father and Obi-Wan to their Komrk/class fighter/transport. The multipurpose starship had become the most common ship used by Death Watch and later the Nite Owls. Stepping onto the ship, the group made their way to the cockpit. Ijaat activated the transmitter and after several seconds, the hologram lit up with Bo-Katan's image.

"What did your father have to say?" she asked.

"I needed a way to contact you," Obi-Wan interjected.

"Kenobi?" asked the hologram. "What are you doing with their father?"

"I have been working as a trainer for clones for a decade," said Kal. "I met the General a while ago and he wanted to get in touch with you, Lady Kryze."

"I always hated that title," said Bo-Katan. "I am surprised by you Kenobi. I would think you would want to kill Maul after what he has done to both of us."

"I do," said Obi-Wan. "Unfortunately, not even the involvement of a Sith Lord was enough to convince the Senate to do more than attempt an embargo. Most just see it as the civil war of a neutral planet. The chancellor has refused to authorize help unless the Nite Owls align with the Republic."

"How opportunistic of him," replied Bo-Katan.

"I don't like this political blackmail either but it is the only way I can help you," said Obi-Wan. "He has sent observers to ensure that we don't provide substantial aid to you or anyone else without him knowing or approving of it. The head of intelligence is in a lot of trouble thanks to us and he is looking for any way to hurt us. What aid I can provide without him noticing won't be enough."

"I can't believe I am saying this but that politician is right," said Kal. "You wouldn't have asked the general for help unless you were unable to kill Maul and his henchmen on your own. Unless the Republic has a local ally to help them, their task force is going to stall out and get absolutely nowhere. And with the rest of the war, the occupation force of a neutral planet isn't going to rank very high on supplies." Bo-Katan was surprised, and briefly pondered the statement he had made.

"I will talk to my lieutenants and ask for their opinion on it," she said. "I should have a response for you tomorrow."

"We will be here," said Obi-Wan as the transmission stopped. After the end of the conversation, Kal turned to his sons.

"I found Ruusaan," said Kal. "Sit down, this will take a while to explain."

**Sorry for taking so long. I figured that Bo-Katan would also have a noble title. I hope my reason why their hasn't been much intervention on Mandalore makes sense.**


End file.
